Time to take a stand against opponents of taking a knee
AS anyone who knows me can testify, I am no football fan.
I once referred in a column to the “late” Archie MacPherson, who was alive and working out in the gym when he read it.
To the chagrin of a former footballmad boss, I referred to strips as uniforms and trials as auditions and, with a gun at my head, I couldn’t distinguish between Hibs and Hearts.
In a previous life on another newspaper, I asked the sports editor if Ronaldo was written Ronald O, invoking the response: “Get out of my f ***** g sight”.
I fell asleep during the only Old Firm match I have ever attended, although in my defence, the seats were heated and a warm bum induces drowsiness.
For grown men to be paid millions to kick a ball up and down a field, seems bonkers to me but there is no doubting the influence the game has on our community.
So this week the anti-racist stance of Rangers’ managing director Stewart Robertson, in supporting players who took a knee before recent games, was important.
Today marks the anniversary of the club’s “Everyone, Anyone”, - a diversity and inclusion initiative intended to modernise the club.
The initiative was designed to encourage “diversity, tolerance and understanding” regardless of age, ethnicity, faith or sexual orientation, gender or disability.
This week Robertson issued an unequivocal statement, insisting anyone who refuses to stand against racism is not wanted.
He insisted: “To be clear, if you are unable to support our players, regardless of their background, you are not welcome at Ibrox.”
All players, Celtic and Rangers, white and black, taking the knee in recent matches in support of Black Lives Matter (BLM) was seminal.
While initiatives are welcome, the actions of the players and Roberston’s statement really felt transformative.
These are bold moves which go beyond lip service and symbolism in their bravery.
The vile, racist response by a significant minority of fans on social media to Rangers players taking the knee was as expected as it is disturbing.
For Robertson to slam the door in their face may hit the club’s pockets but he has all but said he doesn’t want their dirty money.
The bigots who took to social media to condemn the support of
BLM, claim there is no place in the game for politics, as though the endemic bigotry is not just that.
From those who sing from the rebel hymn sheet in the Celtic stand to those in Rangers “up to their knees”, the allegiances of the Old Firm have been shaped by political warfare.
Israeli flags have been waved from Rangers’ stands, Palestinian from Celtic’s as though one unsolvable conflict wasn’t enough for them.
Centre-back Connor Goldson spoke out on social media on Sunday after the gesture was met with backlash on Twitter, branding the reaction “disgusting”.
Roberston’s statement is not just important for black players, but for all football fans tired of being dragged into the bear pit of bigotry.
Roberston and the players didn’t drag the issue of racism into football, it has been there since the first black players were signed and some so-called fans threw bananas on to the field.
Colombian Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos is only the latest in a long line to have been subjected to taunts of “black b ***** d,” and police are now investigating one troll who posted just that abuse on social media.
That sledgehammer approach is needed and all football clubs should follow Robertson’s demand for fans to step up or ship out.
Change doesn’t just doesn’t happen, it is cultivated and these are important steps on the road to a much needed cultural shift in a game dogged by racism.
And you don’t need to understand the offside rule to know that.