This.Probably all the more reason to keep it.
saying that though it feels lazy now, like authorities can just point and say look we are still doing our bit.
Genuine and honest questionI think they need to do far more of it.
They need to do a gesture for gay rights - that is also a serious problem within the game.
Then a gesture for equality of the sexes - girls don't get the same opportunities to play the game, plus there is all that rapey stuff the players do. They need to reflect on that too.
Then a gesture for the victims of the ukraine war given how much money the Russians have pumped into the game to sportswash their activities. The blood money helps pay the players inflated wages.
Then a gesture for human rights given where the WC is about to be played and the Saudi/middle east money that has poured into the game to sportswash their horrific regimes. Reflect on that too.
These are all important issues within the game along with racism and if it takes an hour to run through the lot of them, so be it. But I also think they should do it on their own time. They are not in a position to lecture anyone.
Don't think they were even in the qualifiers for the Euros, mate ?"We should give Ukraine a free pass to the Euro finals regardless of the result - the people deserve it at the very least". Graeme Souness, you fucking mug. What about the people of every other war-torn country like Yemen, Sudan, Syria, Palestine, Uyghurs, people in Central Africa and in Congo that are all living with daily oppression.
completely agree, i think it is now having the reverse effect as to what it was for in the 1st placeI don't think it's now achieving anything other than giving mindless racists in certain countries the opportunity to boo it just to show they are racist.
That's why I said football tournaments and not Euros because there's always one smart arseDon't think they were even in the qualifiers for the Euros, mate ?
Which people ?Sounds like people are up for sweeping under the rug, "if it doesn't effect me it's not an issue" Mentality.
This is a good point that I hadn't considered. The FA etc can just point to that and say its enough, so they get out of actually having to do anything with substance.This.
As someone who has suffered racial abuse most my life I'd rather deal with overt racism than racism that is hidden under the veil of a smile because then I'm not caught off guard.
But the taking the knee is symbolic and gives higher ups the chance to say "we support the anti discrimination stance by allowing players to take the knee.
It's not enough on its own. At the same time, we all knew that it would stop at some point and everything would go back to how it was before until the next instance of public racist abuse
If I could I'd winner rep this once for the point made and once more for prehistoric groping game.I was in the park the other day and heard a dad explain to a few young kids why players take the knee. They all then did it before falling over each other trying to play a game of football that looked more like a game of Twister, if anyone remembers that prehistoric groping game.
But it made me think that yes, taking the knee as a symbol still has a value.
It’s not nearly enough on its own, obviously, but I think we should retain it as a small reminder that some problems still require everyone’s attention.
If we really care, it should be one part of a far larger active programme of eduction. But symbols can have a value.