By Mark Baber
February 12 – A Special Report on the UK’s Sky Sports News broadcast yesterday (February 11) revealed how a 3 month investigation had filmed racist abuse by five white men at Millwall on November 18 aimed at Leeds forward and Senegal international El Hadj Diouf.
London’s metropolitan police have asked for copies of the footage and those found guilty are likely to face jail terms of up to two years.
“Like all Millwall fans and football fans generally, we’re appalled by the footage we’ve seen,” said Millwall chief executive Andy Ambler.
“Clearly that behaviour is unacceptable in any football ground in the country and at Millwall we will ban the individuals for life.”
The programme examined the unwillingness of players to be interviewed on the issue of racist abuse and pointed to the case of Bolton forward Martin Sordell who, in the wake of complaining of abuse at Millwall, suffered further abuse, with a 13-year-old boy being banned from the ground.
Sordell said: “We’re a developed, multi-cultural society. It’s surprising it can still go on – but it doesn’t exactly shock me.
“We can’t be silent about it. We need to make people aware that there is a problem going on and only when people are aware of the problem can it be sorted out.
“As long as people are brave enough I’d say to come out and say exactly what’s happened to them then I think we’ll be going in the right direction because the first thing that needs to happen is that we can’t be silent about it.”
Thierry Henry was interviewed, describing his experiences of racism, and reinforcing the message that players should not have to suffer in silence.
The programme questioned to what extent, despite the undoubted advances in black player participation and reduction in overt racism in grounds, the low level of arrests for racist abuse (23 arrests out of 37 million attendances) was due to complacency and discouragement of players to come forward.
The programme makers showed their footage to the FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who a few days later called for clubs to be relegated if their supporters racially abused players.
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