Players Views

Steve Lomas

Ireland

Can you tell us a bit about your background?
I was born in Hanover, Germany but my dad's English and my mum's Irish so I was brought up in Northern Ireland. I'm classed as a British citizen because I was born on British soil and my dad was in the British army.

What was it like for you growing up with those cultural influences?
I didn't know too much about the Germany because I was only there for a year-and-a-half, we had a year in Hong Kong as well but I was too young to understand it. I hope to go back to both places and see a bit of the culture.

Have you witnessed any form of racism growing up in Northern Ireland?
Not very much because where I lived there wasn't that many black people there. There was Chinese but I spent a lot of time in Manchester, because my dad was originally from there, and that was very multicultural. It wasn't a shock to me. But I remember John Barnes getting pelted with bananas. I was at Man City and felt really embarassed for the fans. He's such a great player but got targeted just because he was a black guy. My mum never brought me up that way. Everybody's the same as far as I'm concerned.

What did you think about that at the time?
Because John Barnes was my idol and all I could see was he was an unbelieveable footballer. I was just seeing him for the player he was but these guys couldn't recognise the talent regardless of the colour of his skin. The guy was a magician on the pitch and they should have been rejoicing, not doing that to him.

What would you say to a young person who may feel pressured into joining in with racist abuse?
I think we've all seen it and accepted it as a joke. I never saw it as a form of racism but people used to call me, paddy this and paddy that, there used to be a lot of jokes about Irish people. And you do sometimes turn the other cheek. It annoyed me even though it was just about where I come from. But to get stick becasue of the colour of your skin must really disappoint you and upset you. It's getting better and I think football's leading the way but a lot more can be done. If you look at the Spanish game in 2004 that was just totally disgusting. FIFA had the ideal opportunity to make a point and come down. What sort of message does that send out? If they had said, 'Right, next year Spain are playing behind closed doors - no fans'. I think that would have been a stern message that when you come to a game of football, you still have to behave in the right manner.

What part do you think football can play in embracing different cultures?
Nobody can dispute that the Premiership, since all these different cultures, religions and nationalities have come together, has improved as a package. It's gone from being a good product to a fantastic product. There's all different types of players and nationalities so people can relate to them. There are numerous black players in the Premiership and it's fantastic. It's showing the way forward.

Did you learn from players of different nationalities about their culture?
Yes, I was at West Ham and we had Freddie Kanoute who is Muslim. I remember Freddie had a hard time when it was Ramadan because he wasn't allowed to eat or drink during the daylight hours. That was difficult itself but you respected him for his religion and beliefs. You thought to yourself, it must be hard work if you're training hard when you're playing and you haven't had anything to eat or drink. I know what it's like myself if you wake up, don't have any breakfast and go straight to training. I played with Eyal Berkovic who is Israeli and learned about the difficulties in his country. It's not a form of racism, but prejudice. I grew up in a society where Catholics and Prostestants didn't like each other. But we're just the same.

What was it like growing up around that conflict?
It is very difficult because my mum always taught me it doesn't matter what religion you are. My dad was Catholic and he had an Irish mother who was a very devout Catholic. I've been to mass and I've been to the Protestant side which is the Church of Ireland, so I've seen both sides of it. But we're all the same, just because our religions are practiced in different ways it doesn't make me a bad person. There's different forms of prejudice, there isn't just racism against black people. I think society has got to grow tolerant because everybody's different. It's the responsibility of everybody and the parents as well to teach their children the right way. Everybody is different but that doesn't make them a bad person.

What part do you think the World Cup will play in fighting racism?
It's an ideal opportunity because, unlike in the past, you've got African teams represented in the World Cup which is fantastic and the Asian communities are represented. It's a fantastic opportunity for people to embrace that side of it and make it a spectacle for multicultural football.

Favourite food: Some nights it'll be Chinese, others it will be Indian, some it will be Italian.
Favourite music: Easy listening and I also like a bit of soul and rock
Favourite footballer? Brian Robson and John Barnes were the main two players of my generation that I thought were fantastic. And Paul Gascoigne later on.