Has racism been shown the red card yet?

‘Let’s kick racism out of football’ was set up in 1993 to do exactly that, but in this blog I pose the question, has racism been kicked out of English football?

The Premier League is currently investigating two cases of racism after Manchester United defender Patrice Evra accused Liverpool striker Luis Suarez of abusing him in their 1-1 clash at Anfield two weeks ago. Last week saw Chelsea defender John Terry also accused of racially abusing QPR’s Anton Ferdinand.

It would be wrong for me to suggest that either of the two alleged players are racists until the full reports are published, but quite frankly I find the fact that allegations like this are even being made in 2011 is sickening.  The Premier League currently has its highest percentage of foreign and black players in its 10 year history and it brands itself as the world’s biggest league, if that’s the case then any proof of racism should be met with the heaviest sanctions.

But are we right to assume that eradicating racism from football is possible? Bearing in mind we live in a society where people are quick to judge and mindless thugs continue to wander the streets of our ‘Great Britain’. John Barnes, racially abused while playing for England in the 80’s said recently that we were silly to believe that racism had been kicked out of football and he himself questioned whether it ever would be.

Contradicting that view though was manager of Manchester United now for 25 years, Sir Alex Ferguson. Sir Alex said he was ‘surprised’ that there were two cases being investigated, and ‘hoped’ there would never be a third.

It is clear that some western European countries still struggle at large with racism in football. Spain and Russia have received heavy sanctions from FIFA in years gone by as ‘punishment’ for their part in racist taunts, but is England in danger of slipping back to the dark days of the 80’s when black England players were abused by their own fans?

Thankfully I think we are not set to slip back to them ways. We are a nation that has currently possess some great black footballers, as well as having the most entertaining league in the world that involves some of the greatest foreign players of the modern era, and losing that over racism would be ridiculous, suicidal and damn right pathetic.

I hope that in both cases being investigated that both alleged offenders are found not guilty for the sake of the image of English football. It is true that England leads the way in the fight against racism; however, I fear that if Terry or Suarez are found guilty then our image as a nation is tarnished.

Do you agree? Is racism still happening in our game today or do you think we have ‘kicked it out’? If found guilty, how should Terry or Suarez be dealt with?

As always let me know.

Rooney rage possibly opens the door for Owen

England qualified for their first European Championships since 2004 yesterday with a 2-2 draw against Montenegro, however Wayne Rooney’s red card for kicking out in the second half overshadowed the performance which now leaves questions over who should lead England’s attack next year in Poland and Ukraine.

Rooney will now be banned for the opening game of the Championships and it could be extended to three games should FIFA decide that it warrants more than a one game ban. Rooney’s disappointing sending off only added to the frustration in what was a disappointing evening for England in Montenegro.

Darren Bent and Ashley Young put England into what seemed an unassailable 2-0 lead, however a goal in the 45^th minute by the home side meant the second half was always going to tough in a hostile atmosphere. 

The visitors’ job become seemingly harder 17 minutes from time when Rooney unforgivingly lashed out with his foot before then being shown the red card by Wolfgang Stark.

So with a definite one game ban for Wayne Rooney, England boss Fabio Capello will now have to decide who will lead his sides’ front line next summer. Capello will of course take the hot head striker but with him missing the opening game, who will Capello turn to?

It looks likely that Darren Bent will take his place on the plane next summer alongside Rooney and Carroll but England will need more options. Bobby Zamora was on the bench last night though his troubles with injury in the last 12 months make him unreliable, while Stoke’s Peter Crouch could be too similar to Andy Carroll so may miss out.

Other contenders are likely to be another bench warmer last night; Danny Welbeck as well as Tottenham’s Jermaine Defoe could be on the plane. One name that refuses to go away is Manchester United striker Michael Owen who despite only starting a handful of games for United, 11 goals in 12 games shows that the 31 year old clearly has goal scoring form on his side.

Rooney in no uncertain terms let his country down last night and will be thankful that it didn’t cost England its place in the Championships next summer and he will have a lot of work to do next year to make up for last night’s mistake, although it may have just opened the door slightly for 31 year old Owen after it seemed the door had been firmly shut by Capello.

What strikers would you take to Euro 2012 next summer? Should Owen get his chance? As always let me know. 

Barton's plea to be in England squad is spot on

Controversial QPR Midfielder Joey Barton burst back into the headlines this afternoon by claiming that the England squad wasn’t chosen on form otherwise ‘he would be in it’. A confident statement from a player that has made more headlines recently rather than goals, but does he have a point?

Surprisingly I agree with Barton on this occasion, here is a player that was a major figure in Newcastle’s excellent season last year and a man that has started well as a QPR player this term. Last season saw Barton score four goals, however he outstandingly assisted in nine of the ‘Toon’s’ Premier League goals.

Impressive figures for a player at a club that were back in the Premier League after relegation two years before and I think they stand out as even better when you compare them to Chelsea Midfielder Frank Lampard’s who despite scoring ten (majority of which were penalties) only managed to assist with two of Chelsea’s goals last term.

You also compare Barton against some of the other players picked ahead of him and you can’t help but see where the QPR man’s frustration comes from. One player that is picked ahead of him is Manchester City’s Adam Johnson, a great player yes; however, it is very rare that the Midfielder gets game time for City.

Another player that I struggle to see why he gets picked is another Man City player, Gareth Barry. After a disastrous display against Germany in last summer’s World Cup, I along with a few others expected Barry to get the chop from England’s Qualification campaign for Euro 2012, however like a bad smell, Barry just won’t go away from the England squad.

Barton also added in his honest interview this afternoon that he didn’t expect to see England doing much more than they did at the World Cup as ‘not much has changed’, another fact that I believe Barton has got spot on.

I don’t want to sound too critical of England or any of its players as I would love as much as the next person to see Fabio Capello and his side win Euro 2012, however I can see some sense in what Barton is saying. I also don’t think we should be surprised if the QPR Midfielder is on the plane next summer ahead of Steven Gerrard, Gareth Barry or even Frank Lampard.

Let me know what you think? Should Barton be in the England squad? Do you think Capello picks players on name rather than form?

Following the FA Cup: Margate's six appeal sets up clash with Bromley

Margate thrashed Thamesmead last night 6-1 to take their place in the Third Qualifying round of the F.A Cup.

Five goals from Striker Kwasi Appiah and one from Dean Hill means that the ‘Gate’ will now entertain Blue Square South side Bromley at Hartsdown Park on the 15^th October.

The next clash will be a real test for Kinnear’s men as they look to reach the fourth qualifying stage and a possible clash against a Blue Square Premier team.

In winning last night Margate collected another £4,500 prize money taking their total earnings so far to £7,500 with the prospect of another £7,500 on offer for the winners of the next game.

Bromley overcome a strong Welling side 2-1 at the weekend to set up the clash with Margate however the London based side have had a mixed start to their league campaign and currently sit 13^th in the division.

Apologies for the brief blog but please look back next week as I will bring you a full match preview as Margate look to continue their FA Cup dream.