News in 2006

07th October 2006

10 years of Show Racism the Red Card

Former Newcastle, Sunderland and Ireland stars gathered in Newcastle yesterday for the 10th anniversary of Show Racism the Red Card. Former Sunderland Captain Gary Bennett was joined by other legends of the north east clubs including David Kelly, Howard Gayle and John Beresford.

Howard Gayle was the first black player to turn out for Liverpool and one of the first to feature for both Newcastle and Sunderland. As a racial pioneer, the abuse he received was often horrific.

When Howard Gayle played for Newcastle United on loan in 1981 the home supporters began a song in his honour. "He's black, he's broon, he plays for the Toon, Howard Gayle, Howard Gayle."

In the modern era, more than a decade after the creation of Show Racism The Red Card and the start of the Kick Racism Out of Football Campaign, it is a terrace chant which is unlikely to find a home at St James's Park or the Stadium of Light.

In a world of political correctness and sensitivity to racial issues, singling out a player because of his colour or creed is frowned upon rather than laughed at.

But for Gayle, considering some of the vile songs and unsavoury chants which had been spat down from the same terraces when he had been on the opposing side, the song was a small step in the right direction.

"I can remember the song they had for me and today, because of the changes there have been politically and socially, because of the greater sensitivity there is, it could be deemed as racist," said Gayle, who is now a social inclusion officer attached to Stoke City. "But considering some of the abuse I'd suffered at Newcastle in the past, it was an improvement.

"It meant the fans, in their own way, had accepted me and that's the whole point of Show Racism The Red Card. Changing attitudes and opinions with the use of positive role models.

"When I played for Newcastle and for Sunderland, the fans were great, both on and off the pitch.

"But when I was visiting, I was singled out because that's how people up here felt about black people at that time.

"When I'd been an opposition player at St James's Park I was spat at, there were monkey noises and all sorts of racist abuse. It wasn't pleasant, but sadly it was something I had become used to.

"From banana skins being thrown at me, to spit in the face at English grounds to 70,000 Germans at Bayern Munich chanting and making the Nazi salute.

"It was horrible and totally wrong but I had always had a strong family behind me and I was always determined not to let the racists win. If I had walked off the pitch, refused to play the game I loved, then they would have won and I wasn't going to let that happen."

Racism, as Gayle is always at pains to stress, is not football's problem, it is society's and the North-East had a bigger problem because there were hardly any minority groups living in the region.

But it was when Gayle was at Sunderland he found a kindred spirit in the form of Gary Bennett. While black players had become increasingly common at clubs in the south they were almost unheard of in the less racially diverse North and so black players suffered when they visited.

"Gary and I both saw ourselves as pioneers," said Gayle. "Neither of us were willing to accept racism, in any form. In those days it was rife in the game as well as in the stands. You would have managers, teammates, the people who ran the club, even the tea ladies, who were racist.

"Some black players of our generation just tried to ignore it, get their heads down and get on with it. I wasn't like that. I challenged it, whether it came from a manager or a team-mate. If something racist was said, I picked up on it. "When I was a player it was a common thing for people to say that I had a chip on my shoulder. It wasn't a chip, it was a resilience not to accept racism. Gary was the same."

Gayle still lives and works in Liverpool and he was dismayed by the racially-motivated murder of black teenager Anthony Walker last year. While strides have been made in society and football to extinguish racism, there is still much to be done.

Gayle added: "When you hear about something like that in Liverpool it upsets you, but the good thing was the whole city was shocked and appalled by what had happened.

"When I look at young Asian players today it reminds me of what I had to go through as a black player more than 20 years ago. They are hindered by racial stereotypes and xenophobic abuse from the terraces. The war on terror has made things even worse.

"No player should be judged on anything other than ability, but there is still a lot of work to be done."

Source: The Journal