Gangs of racist thugs inhabited the terraces of football grounds like Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC, Elland Road, Leeds United’s home ground, and the Bolyn Ground (Upton Park), home of West Ham United. When the English cricket team were playing some of these morons began attending their matches. It must be stressed that none of the football clubs or the England cricket team condoned in any way these people’s actions and chants. Chelsea fans, or an element of them, had and to my knowledge still have connections with the Nazi group Combat 18 (C18) with links to six county loyalists.
During the late seventies and eighties, the National Front (NF) and later the British National Party (BNP) gained support at Leeds and West Ham. There was a point at Elland Road when if a young black player, Terry Connor, scored a goal giving Leeds United a 1-0 win a tiny element of their fans would claim the game was 0-0 rather than give a black player any credit!
In recent years and due to Chelsea's success, much of it attributed to black players the racist element in their fan base has been quiet. Some West Ham supporters changed the tune to their anthem; ‘I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles’ to the air of the German national anthem while, at the same time sporting a Nazi salute. All this was open racism and support for fascism on the terraces and the three clubs mentioned were by no means the only ones affected by this cancer.
At Old Trafford, home of Manchester United, elements of racists began chanting. I remember it well, especially when we were playing West Bromwich Albion who had a few black players and they were brilliant players, I have to admit, even though they played for the opposition. Fortunately, there was also a strong Anti-Fascist Action (AFA) presence at the ground which combatted these extreme right-wing activists, most of whom did not have a clue as to what ‘right-wing’ in its political sense meant. There was a world of difference between attacking a player because he was a wanker, as all opposition players were in our eyes at that time, and attacking a player on the grounds of skin colour. Those days have to a large extent gone and as much as I look back through rose tinted glasses to the glorious days of the seventies and eighties there was also an ugly side.
Today, in what passes for the modern game at top flight level (something I question as to whether it is actually football or not) racism comes not so much from the seats, which replaced terracing, but from another quarter and is quite cleverly masked. Recently at Manchester United a gifted young player, potential great, Mason Greenwood had allegations of ‘assault, attempted rape and coercive control’ made against him. One of the alleged incidents took place at a party he and his partner, Harriet Robson, were attending. Footage was taken of Mason physically assaulting Harriet who then, supported by ‘friends’ made the allegations. It must have been one of these ‘friends’ who took the footage. Harriet, and her ‘friends’, immediately dropped the allegations against Mason and refused any further cooperation with the police inquiry which was subsequently dropped. Mason Greenwood was never charged with any offence and pleaded his innocence all the way, yet his employer, Manchester United, chose to terminate his services at the club. This amounted essentially to sacking him for something which occurred at a party involving himself and his partner which came to nothing outside the narrow mentality of a few. The couple are now back together happily bringing up their newly born baby in Spain.
Today, in what passes for the modern game at top flight level (something I question as to whether it is actually football or not) racism comes not so much from the seats, which replaced terracing, but from another quarter and is quite cleverly masked. Recently at Manchester United a gifted young player, potential great, Mason Greenwood had allegations of ‘assault, attempted rape and coercive control’ made against him. One of the alleged incidents took place at a party he and his partner, Harriet Robson, were attending. Footage was taken of Mason physically assaulting Harriet who then, supported by ‘friends’ made the allegations. It must have been one of these ‘friends’ who took the footage. Harriet, and her ‘friends’, immediately dropped the allegations against Mason and refused any further cooperation with the police inquiry which was subsequently dropped. Mason Greenwood was never charged with any offence and pleaded his innocence all the way, yet his employer, Manchester United, chose to terminate his services at the club. This amounted essentially to sacking him for something which occurred at a party involving himself and his partner which came to nothing outside the narrow mentality of a few. The couple are now back together happily bringing up their newly born baby in Spain.
The verbal attacks on Greenwood outside the club were spearheaded by groups and individuals holding ‘radical feminist’ views. This strand of ‘feminism’ should not be confused with the other major variants which are ‘orthodox or liberal feminism’ and ‘Marxist feminism’. Radical feminism has little to do with women’s equality, something every socialist, male and female, should consider themselves a supporter of, but it is more about female domination. Radical feminism in all its degrees is primarily anti-male. In the case of Mason Greenwood, it could also be considered ‘racist’. Manchester United unfortunately, but not surprisingly, bowed to these female Hitlers and their servile male supporters. Some men consider it a badge of honour to be dominated by their female partners, and the club essentially sacked Mason Greenwood. They then went out and spent a fortune on a forward, Rasmus Hojlund who, I believe, will be a very good asset to the team but that is not the point. The point is the club, if that is what it still is, bowed to the pressure spearheaded by these radicals like celebrity Rachel Riley. She said’ “if Mason Greenwood played again for United” she would stop supporting them. Well, as far as I’m concerned you and your middle-class radicals can fuck off and don’t’ come back - oh and take your servile male fans with you.
I notice these ‘radical feminists’ are deafening by their silence when it comes to real exploitation of women working in sweatshops for a pittance of a wage. No publicity in such campaigns perhaps! Feminism is about women’s equality, equality at work, equal pay for equal work with males and equality in the home and equal political representation along with equality of opportunities generally and an end to violence against women. These demands should be supported by every socialist and trade unionist in fact all decent people. The campaign launched against Mason Greenwood was disgusting and racist in my view. Mason is now playing his football in Spain for Getafe, a Madrid based club, where he is making an early impact. I for one wish him and Harriet with their new baby all the best and every success.
Why were the attacks on Mason Greenwood racist or could be construed as racist? Well, let’s come forward a few weeks to the case of another Man United player, the Brazilian international winger Antony. He had allegations made against him by his former partner, Gabriela Cavallin, and two other women. These allegations of abuse and violence by the women have not been withdrawn, unlike those against Mason Greenwood which were withdrawn almost immediately! Despite investigations against the player by police in Greater Manchester and Brazilian police being ongoing Antony is back training with his teammates. Despite his former partner urging the club to suspend him he has been afforded favourable treatment, unlike Mason Greenwood. In a statement Manchester United said:
Why were the attacks on Mason Greenwood racist or could be construed as racist? Well, let’s come forward a few weeks to the case of another Man United player, the Brazilian international winger Antony. He had allegations made against him by his former partner, Gabriela Cavallin, and two other women. These allegations of abuse and violence by the women have not been withdrawn, unlike those against Mason Greenwood which were withdrawn almost immediately! Despite investigations against the player by police in Greater Manchester and Brazilian police being ongoing Antony is back training with his teammates. Despite his former partner urging the club to suspend him he has been afforded favourable treatment, unlike Mason Greenwood. In a statement Manchester United said:
As Antony's employer, Manchester United has decided that he will resume training at Carrington, and be available for selection, while police inquiries proceed. This will be kept under review pending further developments in the case. As a club, we condemn acts of violence and abuse. We recognise the importance of safeguarding all those involved in this situation and acknowledge the impact these allegations have on survivors of abuse.
Antony, a winger, cost £82 million to buy from Ajax and he is a prized asset. He is considered white, certainly not black, and is headline material at superstar level with 16 caps for Brazil. Mason Greenwood did not cost such a colossal fee and has been with the club since he was seven years of age, a credit, along with Marcus Rashford to United’s academy. For me, Mason Greenwood is worth ten Antonys but that is not the point. The fact that this superstar has been given beneficial treatment by his employer than was Mason Greenwood is concerning to say the least and it does have more than an air of racism about it in my view. Given the fact ‘radical feminists’ tend to come from middle-class backgrounds, though not exclusively, the masked racist content from them comes as no great surprise.
The statement on Antony was in sharp contrast with the club statement about Mason Greenwood, which said after a six-month long process investigating the player:
The club mutually agreed with Greenwood that it would be most appropriate for him to recommence his carrier away from Old Trafford.
I seriously question how much mutuality there was in this decision? The treatment of the two players is in sharp contrast. It has also been noticeable how, once again deafening by their silence these ‘radical feminist’ groups and individuals have been during the Antony affair. For me, there is much more evidence to suggest guilt on the part of Antony than there ever was against Greenwood. Mason Greenwood was hung out to dry by a bunch of ‘femi-fascists’ as some, not inaccurately, call them who were supported in this crime by Manchester United, the club a young seven- year-old kid gave his childhood for in the hope of making it big one day. That day was not, and hopefully will not be far away Mason.
Where have the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) been during the Greenwood affair? In sharp contrast to that of Antony they were nowhere to be seen or heard during the six traumatic months the club privately investigated Mason Greenwood. They were, however, at Old Trafford the following day in the case of Antony! Could this be because Antony cost £82 million and is considered a white Brazilian of Portuguese extraction superstar international? An expensive asset to both his club and country! Mason Greenwood, a black working-class youngster needed protection, he was only 19, and representation from his union was essential, where were they?
Now to another case of silence by the ‘radical feminists’, that of three Irish International Rugby Union players, Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding. These two - in the dock with another rugby player, Blane McIlroy who was found not guilty of exposure - were charged with assault and rape. These three international rugby players were found not guilty of rape, assault and exposure despite much evidence to suggest the opposite. The victim herself gave a tearful account of events which occurred, again at a party, describing how she was brutally raped by the two rugby stars. They were found not guilty by a court of law but was that the correct verdict? Or was it a miscarriage of justice? Such verdicts, despite overwhelming evidence are not unusual when it comes to defendants coming from the bourgeois strata of society, the middle-classes. A case of the rich looking after their own perhaps? The question here must again be asked; where have the voices of women’s defence been? Where have the middle-class led ‘radical feminist’ groups and individuals been, where were they during the Jackson, McIlroy and Olding case? They had plenty to say about Mason Greenwood!
Manchester United have been at very best guilty of double standards in the cases of Mason Greenwood and Antony. Preferential treatment has been given to the £82 million pound player compared to that meted out to one of their graduate players, one potentially far better than the one footed Antony. There is more than an air of racism involved in these cases and the class question enters the fold when we broaden the situation out to include players from other sports like Rugby Union. ‘Radical feminism’ spearheaded the assault, racist assault in my view, by a bunch of middle-class man hating women, against Mason Greenwood while the same gobshites, male and female alike, have been conspicuously silent over Antony and the two rugby internationals. Another sickening example of class and racial hypocritical, double standards, in sport at the highest level. Fucking sickening to say the least.
The case of Mason Greenwood can only be construed as racist given the double standards of the club and character assassination of the player by ‘radical feminists.’ A question could be asked, how many other clubs practice such discrimination? Let us take a hypothetical situation; let’s say a man and a woman had allegations made against them and the man was virtually let off while the woman was sentenced. The ‘radical feminists’ for once would have an argument over discrimination against the woman, if they could be found. That would depend very much on where abouts on the so-called social ladder the hypothetical allegations took place. The radicals are seldom seen at the cutting edge of women’s abuse, in the sweatshops, at the ports where migrant women are abused, on the council estates where violence against women is not uncommon. No publicity for these self-publicists in such situations and venues no doubt!! Of course, if these arguments were to be pointed out to either Manchester United or the trail blazers of the ‘radical feminists’ they would try and rubbish them, that is for sure!!
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| Caoimhin O’Muraile is Independent Socialist Republican and Marxist. |
