28th November 2004

Taunting fans expose Scotland's race shame

It could be a scene from the 1970s. A black player among a sea of white faces at a football match. From the crowd comes the chant "you black bastard" and the taunt "get back to your own country".

But far from being an embarrassing throwback to a different decade or a different place, a Scotland on Sunday investigation has revealed this is the scene at football matches across the country every week.

Scotland's forgotten shame was put back in the spotlight by Celtic manager Martin O'Neill last week, after one of the most bitter Old Firm matches in years.

Neil Lennon, the Celtic midfielder, came in for particular abuse which O'Neill has claimed was "racial and sectarian", lifting the lid on what often goes unreported and ignored.

For many Scots, it was a shocking wake-up call and even prompted First Minister Jack McConnell to condemn the behaviour of both clubs as "totally unacceptable" and describe the events as a "step back in time".

But according to some critics, to suggest that Scotland had ever defeated racism is simply wrong, and in fact verbal abuse is still seen as part of the banter at matches.

While the scourge of sectarianism has recently been strenuously targeted by high-profile campaigns and even new legislation to give tougher sentences to bigots, many say racism remains so endemic in Scottish football it is hardly remarked upon any more.

Roddy McNulty, Scottish co-ordinator for Show Racism the Red Card, believes there is one racist incident every week in amateur games and one a fortnight in professional football.

However, statistics have not yet been properly collated and no specific research has ever been done so the true figure remains unknown.

"We are told that there is a bigger problem with sectarianism than racism but my answer is tell that to a black or Asian player. Both are serious problems in Scottish football," McNulty said.

"The problem has always been there in football but now it is being taken more seriously. It is getting better in the sense that action is being taken and fans are taking action themselves. At the end of the day, we can have legislation in place but we need the fans to support the campaign."

McNulty suggests some clubs are not doing all they could. He said: "All 42 clubs are involved with Show Racism the Red Card but some, including many of the Premierleague clubs, have been more proactive than others. There is a lot of work still to do to stop chanting within grounds and to organise fans locally, particularly among clubs where there is an element of racist support.

"The anti-sectarian message coming from the top has been very strong. But we need more leadership and strong condemnation for racism, from politicians and the Scottish Football Association."

The police themselves are reluctant to talk about the problem and no specific figures appear to have been collated, but a total of four people were arrested at two recent Old Firm games for racist abuse.

Prem Singh, spokesman for the Scottish Asian Sports Association, said he and fellow amateur ethnic-minority players had also experienced physical and verbal abuse during matches.

"There is a lot of abuse at the amateur level in some leagues, whether that be verbal abuse from the fans or players or pushing and shoving on the pitch, basically from anyone who wants to voice an opinion. The problem is that there is no monitoring process.

"The Scottish Football Association are living in the past and they do not have any concept of equality."

Many black professional players say they are aware it happens but are reluctant to speak out. And even in the 21st century some feel that going public might inflame the situation, especially if they are the only black player in a side. "They often feel isolated enough without drawing further attention to themselves," said one Scottish Premierleague manager yesterday.

One who has been outspoken is Rangers player Marvin Andrews, who was called a "black bastard" by supporter Keith Anderson while playing for his former club Livingston against St Johnstone in October, 2003.

Anderson, from Perth, who denied the charges, was fined £450. He told the court: "I am a passionate supporter of my own team. Saying that players are rubbish is part and parcel of football."

Andrews told Scotland on Sunday: "A lot of the time people who are passionate about the game or a particular team say things in the heat of the moment that they don't really mean but are offensive none the less.

"No matter who you are or where you come from, you should always treat others the way you would like to be treated. The colour of your skin shouldn't matter, it's the person inside that counts."

Another star, Trinidad and Tobago international Brent Sancho, who plays for Dundee, recently told a court he was called a "black bastard" and a "f****** nigger" by former bouncer Robert McGregor at a taxi rank.

Sancho and fellow player Stephen McNally had been accused of attacking McGregor but were found not guilty of assault. Though the incident took place off the pitch, Sancho said abuse remains a persistent problem during games.

"I personally hadn't suffered anything like that before, thank God, but I know racism does exist, it definitely does exist," he added.

"It is more introverted than extroverted these days. But a lot of the problem is due to fans who go off the hinges in supporting their teams."

Former Rangers player Mark Walters said: "Until the last few weeks I thought things had got better but it seems we take one step forward and two steps back. I would like to think in the main that things are better but it can't get better by itself. People need to be educated, I think that's the most important thing.

"In my era, it was more difficult to report incidents. It was accepted that these things would happen. In my day, people used to say that was how things were. It was a regular occurrence but not at every match, just certain areas. It became easier to report over the years."

The SFA strenuously denies allegations it is not tackling racist abuse.

Chief executive David Taylor said: "We have been very active in the forefront of the anti-racism campaign in Scotland. We have put money into it, we are acting on it, and we are involved wherever we can be. Education, ultimately, long term, is the best method."

But Kay Hampton, the Commission for Racial Equality's Commissioner for Scotland, said far more needs to be done.

"While sectarianism has always been viewed as a problem, the CRE has long been disturbed by the false perception that racism is not a big issue within the Scottish game," she said.

"While ethnic minority football players are present in Scotland, few are home-grown. We know that clubs are dominated by white staff and ethnic-minority attendance at games is weaker in Scotland than in the rest of the UK.

"We recognise that some Scottish clubs are making efforts to engage in anti-racist promotional work, but this alone will not be sufficient to eradicate racism from the game. Football authorities and managers need to examine their procedures and practices to ensure they promote equal opportunities and come down hard on racial discrimination both on and off the pitch."

Against the law

The landmark piece of legislation designed to combat racism in the UK is the Race Relations Act which was passed in 1976 and which made job discrimination and overt racist abuse illegal. In addition to banning restrictions which barred Afro-Caribbeans or Asians from jobs and services, the law also made incitement to racist hatred a crime and allowed for prosecution for 'indirect racism'.

Indirect racism meant applying criteria which implicitly discriminated against people of a particular race or colour. An example would be a sign which said 'No Sikhs', which refers to a religious group, but as most Sikhs are Asian, if would be effectively a racist restriction.

The growth of Islam in the UK, and the fact that Muslims come from a great number of races, has led to calls for the Act to be amended to protect against religious abuse. Since last year, Scotland has had a law which allows prosecution for offences motivated by religious as well as racial hatred.