FA Chairman resigns after remark about Black Players

RasTa · 10-11-2020 05:12PM #1

Greg Clarke has resigned from his role of Football Association chairman, reports Matt Slater.

Clarke was forced to apologise after he used the word "coloured" before a Digital, Culture, Media, Sport committee on Tuesday.

He was also criticised by anti-discrimination group Kick It Out after saying that black and South Asian people had “different career interests” from each other, as well as saying that being gay was a “lifestyle choice”.

Wonder who is going in next.

Agent Coulson · 10-11-2020 05:32PM

Will he resign as Vice President of FIFA as well I wonder.

RasTa · 10-11-2020 05:40PM

No chance, what he said wasn't that bad in fairness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-WpHgGTGkM

radiata · 10-11-2020 05:42PM

RasTa wrote: »

Wonder who is going in next.

I didn't think it was racist using the word 'coloured', the world is fcuked!

magma69 · 10-11-2020 05:55PM

radiata wrote: »

I didn't think it was racist using the word 'coloured', the world is fcuked!

You don't have to be some SJW loon to know the word has been widely considered to be outdated for about 20 years.

That said, it's madness that it would warrant his sacking or resignation.

Fromvert · 10-11-2020 06:11PM

magma69 wrote: »

You don't have to be some SJW loon to know the word has been widely considered to be outdated for about 20 years.

That said, it's madness that it would warrant his sacking or resignation.

He also said being gay is a lifestyle choice. He's just not the guy that can be the head of the FA when anti-racism, pro gays rights and equality are near the top of the agenda.

Your old relative (or friends/family etc) says this in a private conversation you roll your eyes and might try and talk to them about it, head of a public facing organisation, you're done. I can't believe he wasn't overly prepped for this, he seemed to just answer off the cuff with not a lot of prep for what he was going to be asked about.

He didn't show any malice in his words but he came across as ignorant and out of touch. His lol excuse of well I spent a lot of time in America was the cherry on top. Well Greg 'people of colour' and 'coloured' are not the same thing and it has the touch of 'well when I was lad we used to be able to say ......'.

10-11-2020 09:45PM

What he said is a no no.

Someone might know, I'm guessing its not as objectionable in the USA, given that the NAACP still use it. But on this side of the Atlantic, it's pejorative.

adaminho · 10-11-2020 09:55PM

Deleted User wrote: »

What he said is a no no.

Someone might know, I'm guessing its not as objectionable in the USA, given that the NAACP still use it. But on this side of the Atlantic, it's pejorative.

There's a big difference between coloured people and persons of colour! Also he said Asians preferred IT, Gay was a lifestyle choice and girls didn't like the ball being kicked hard at them!

Edit: https://twitter.com/ChiAlreadyKnow/status/1326215964866850819

CSF · 10-11-2020 10:16PM

I think having to resign for saying coloured accidentally instead of person of colour is harsh.

But by the sounds of it, this is just the straw that broke the donkey's back based on some of the other things people are saying he has said.

One harmless unintentional slip with no malice attached should not see anyone condemned, but if he is a walking ridiculous quote machine, then he has no place leading the FA given one of their biggest tasks at the moment is dealing with bigotry.

10-11-2020 10:22PM

adaminho wrote: »

There's a big difference between coloured people and persons of colour!

But the NAACP uses "coloured people" in its acronym and has rejected calls to change.

It's academic, he said it in Britain and it's just not acceptable there.

adaminho · 10-11-2020 10:31PM

Deleted User wrote: »

But the NAACP uses "coloured people" in its acronym and has rejected calls to change.

It's academic, he said it in Britain and it's just not acceptable there.

What about the rest of his comments?

10-11-2020 10:38PM

adaminho wrote: »

What about the rest of his comments?

Gay being a lifestyle choice is jaw dropping stuff.

Asians preferring IT is maybe not as awful, but still really bad.

Girls not liking the ball being kicked hard is silly, I don't think it's in the category of his other comments though.

Augme · 10-11-2020 10:46PM

His comment call into question his judgement. I really don't understand how he could have said what he did given the context of that meeting. You could get away with possible one slip of the tongue, but added with the 3 others and it was just a car crash style interview.

It reminded me of the episode in the office when Gareth talked about his dad and said he was outdated because he used the terms darkies inside of coloureds. The greg dyke speech was like something you would have seen in the office.

~Rebel~ · 10-11-2020 10:47PM

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Gay being a lifestyle choice is jaw dropping stuff.

Asians preferring IT is maybe not as awful, but still really bad.

Definately still very bad, and so so stupid. As a rule, probably a good idea to avoid any racial stereotyping.

Girls not liking the ball being kicked hard is silly, I don't think it's in the category of his other comments though.

Considering he was the head of the FA, which includes women’s football, it’s absolutely ridiculous.

The guy comes across as an absolute dinosaur, and worse, a dinosaur that hasn’t even tried to stay current. Just total indefensible ignorance. Definitely no loss.

adaminho · 10-11-2020 10:50PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Gay being a lifestyle choice is jaw dropping stuff.

Asians preferring IT is maybe not as awful, but still really bad.

Girls not liking the ball being kicked hard is silly, I don't think it's in the category of his other comments though.

So if he miss spoke the first time he's still homophobic, racist and VAR is deciding on sexism! He's the head of the FA discussing with Parliament, not some neanderthal off the street! I've witnessed and received racism in the stands in the UK, the last thing you need is the head of the FA saying it's okay!

.G. · 10-11-2020 11:05PM

Added to everything above is the fact that he was the instigator or Project Big Picture, not Liverpool and Man United and when the backlash came he lied through his teeth about it.

Being head of the FA, that alone should have led to questions regarding his suitability to hold the position he held.

Ikozma · 10-11-2020 11:27PM

I honestly didn't realised we can't say coloured anymore, I just thought we couldn't say black

Cookiemunster · 10-11-2020 11:58PM

Ikozma wrote: »

I honestly didn't realised we can't say coloured anymore, I just thought we couldn't say black

That's in America. Black is the accepted term in the UK. There's no equivalent to African American.

Mr.Nice Guy · 11-11-2020 12:16AM

I've never been able to work out how we reached a point where 'coloured person' was offensive, but 'person of colour' was dignified and respectable. They mean the same thing. Imagine trying to explain this to a non-native English speaker. They would be scratching their heads.

I was always under the impression 'coloured' was offensive because there was an underlying implication that it meant white was 'normal' and everything else was not. I can understand black people finding that objectionable. If this is the case, I don't get how 'of colour' somehow came to be acceptable parlance. Again, this description implies difference between races, which surely ought to be discouraged in a multicultural society.

Both of the terms are idiotic imo. All of us are a colour of some sort.

11-11-2020 12:19AM

Colored or person of colour is just dinosaur talk tbf.

Very rarely hear anyone say either these days. And it's usually from the older generation when I do.

~Rebel~ · 11-11-2020 02:09AM

6 wrote: »

Colored or person of colour is just dinosaur talk tbf.

Very rarely hear anyone say either these days. And it's usually from the older generation when I do.

Ikozma wrote: »

I honestly didn't realised we can't say coloured anymore, I just thought we couldn't say black

Both Black (capital

and Person of Color are accepted terms. (For the latter I'm mostly speaking from US experience living there, can't speak to how it's received in the UK). Person of Color doesn't mean Black though, it's the broad term that speaks to the collective of non-white races - Black, Asian, Latin American, Middle Eastern etc etc - used a lot in the US. Often also used as BIPOC, to differentiate Black and Indigenous populations.

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

I've never been able to work out how we reached a point where 'coloured person' was offensive, but 'person of colour' was dignified and respectable. They mean the same thing. Imagine trying to explain this to a non-native English speaker. They would be scratching their heads.

English isn't the problem, History is. The main differentiation is that 'Colored' was literally the label on segregated bathroom doors, busses, water fountains etc that Black people were to use. So it wasn't just seen as a descriptor, but a tag of 'less than'. It carries a lot of negative weight as a result, so even though Person of Color seems similar, it doesn't come with decades of historical weight behind it as a term. Also, as mentioned above, Colored was more specifically tied to the Black population in the US, which POC is not.

If this is the case, I don't get how 'of colour' somehow came to be acceptable parlance. Again, this description implies difference between races, which surely ought to be discouraged in a multicultural society.

Both of the terms are idiotic imo. All of us are a colour of some sort.

I know what you mean - in Ireland that's definitely true. But there are daily conversations that need to take place in the US about the difference in treatment and status of white people and people of color, so in that context it makes sense to have a descriptor to be able to use. For instance, women of color are 3 to 4 times more likely to die in childbirth than white women in the US. POC are also significantly more likely to die from Covid. And if you want to dig into these conversations you need to accept the disparate experiences of white people and people of color. (Social strata also plays a huuuuge part, but thats a conversation for another day!)

CSF · 11-11-2020 02:40AM

~Rebel~ wrote: »

English isn't the problem, History is. The main differentiation is that 'Colored-only' was literally the label on segregated bathroom doors, busses, water fountains etc for Black people. So it wasn't just seen as a descriptor, but a tag of 'less than'. It carries a lot of negative weight as a result, so even though Person of Color seems similar, it doesn't come with decades of historical weight behind it as a term. Also, as mentioned above, Colored was more specifically tied to the Black population in the US, which POC is not.

Ah, makes perfect sense now.

~Rebel~ · 11-11-2020 03:04AM

CSF wrote: »

Ah, makes perfect sense now.

Yeah, fairly ****in' horrendous alright! And not that long ago either. Right up to 1964.

tinpib · 11-11-2020 06:45AM

adaminho wrote: »

There's a big difference between coloured people and persons of colour! Also he said Asians preferred IT, Gay was a lifestyle choice and girls didn't like the ball being kicked hard at them!
/QUOTE]

It's all absolutely, 100% believable as an Alan Partridge script.

tom1ie · 11-11-2020 08:50AM

6 wrote: »

Colored or person of colour is just dinosaur talk tbf.

Very rarely hear anyone say either these days. And it's usually from the older generation when I do.

So what is the appropriate thing to say.

rob316 · 11-11-2020 11:28AM

Aren't we all colored though? White is a color, just like brown or black.

GLaDOS · 11-11-2020 11:29AM

Wise words from my former basketball couch as a kid

"What colour am I? ("Black"). Then call me black!"

chicorytip · 11-11-2020 11:49AM

Clarke's track record and previous utterances suggest that in no way whatsoever could he be described as a racist unlike Lord Kilcloney(John Taylor), for example, whose track record and previous utterances suggest that he could certainly be described as racist and bigoted. This was just an unfortunate slip of the tongue.
Ron Atkinson, a leading promoter of black footballers in his day, also made an unfortunate slip of the tongue on live television, referring to a black player as "that lazy n- - - - r" in a moment of exasperation. Anybody who knows football would never describe Atkinson as racist or prejudiced against blacks. We live in a politically correct society nowadays where the slightest verbal misstep can potentially destroy careers.

Grayditch · 11-11-2020 12:11PM

chicorytip wrote: »

Ron Atkinson, a leading promoter of black footballers in his day, also made an unfortunate slip of the tongue on live television, referring to a black player as "that lazy n- - - - r" in a moment of exasperation. Anybody who knows football would never describe Atkinson as racist or prejudiced against blacks. We live in a politically correct society nowadays where the slightest verbal misstep can potentially destroy careers.

Haha Jesus Christ. Of course you get fired for calling someone a that word to tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of people.

GLaDOS · 11-11-2020 12:23PM

The Chinese people have the best contraception in the world - but I can't understand why there's so many of them because their women are so ugly."

-Ron Atkinson

eagle eye · 11-11-2020 06:04PM

It's becoming a world I don't want to live in.
I'm not racist, I'm not anti-anything.
Only people I don't like are loudmouths and bullies who demand you accept their beliefs as gospel or else. The PC brigade have now become like that.

FA Chairman resigns after remark about Black Players

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