By Tom Degun
November 10 – Luther Blissett (pictured), one of the black pioneers of English football, has said that Spain should not be debarred from hosting the 2018 or 2022 World Cup because of its recent history racist behaviour at major matches.
Earlier this year England refused to play an international friendly against European champions Spain in Madrid because its players, including Ashley Cole and Rio Ferdinand, were racially abused during a match at Madrid’s Bernabeu Stadium in 2004.
The Spanish Football Association (RFEF) was fined 100,000 Swiss francs (£62,370) by the European governing body UEFA for that incident.
There was also outrage when Spanish national football coach Luis Aragones made abusive racist comments about French and then Arsenal striker Thierry Henry.
There have been several other high-profile incidents, including when Barcelona’s Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto’o threatened to leave the pitch after being subjected to racial abuse by Real Zaragoza and only stayed after an appeal was made to th crowd to stop.
But Blissett, the first black player to score a hat-trick for England and who spent a season playing in Serie-A for AC Milan in 1983 after joining them from Watford, believes Spain – who are bidding for the 2018 or 2022 World Cup together with Portugal – deserves another chance and that their World Cup bid should not be damaged by the disturbing incidents.
Blissett said: “Yesterday has come and gone.
“Spain can’t control what has happened at football matches in the past and though the incidents were unfortunate, we all have to move on.
“I do not think that the World Cup should not go to Spain because of their racist behaviour in the past but I do think that in bidding for the 2018 or 2022 World Cup, Spain should look to tackle the issue and if bidding for a World Cup makes them address racism at football matches, then that is a good thing.”
Blissett is an ambassador for the England World Cup bid as well as a member of the Show Racism the Red Card Campaign (SRtRC)and believes that Spain – like England – will be a strong contender to win the right to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.
He said: “Like England, Spain has one of the best infrastructures and best football league (La Liga) in the world.
“People will keep bringing up the racism issue but like I said, if they deal with the issue as part of their bid, that is a good thing for Spain and we would all do well to forgive and forget.”
Blissett’s comments were echoed by fellow SRtRC patron Leroy Rosenior, the former Fulham and Queen’s Park Rangers player.
H said: “That (the racism in Spain) happened in the past and that is where it should be left.
“If we keep brining up things that happened in the past, no country would have a strong World Cup bid as every country has bits of their history they are ashamed of.
“If the Spanish Federation addresses the issue; it will create a great legacy for Spain that may even help their bid.
“I see no problem with Spain hosting the World Cup although personally, I will obviously be supporting England.”
But Frank Clark, the newest inductee to the SRtRC Hall of Fame, disagreed.
Clark, a European Cup winner with Nottingham Forest, said: “At this stage, I think the World Cup going to Spain is counter-productive for the anti-racist movement.
“I think they need to fully address the issue and prove they have a productive anti-racism scheme in place before they truly merit a football World Cup in the country.”
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