Media Discussion - 2023/24

[mattcity5]

And yet Sterling got racially abused by City fans and it’s rife in the sport generally.

Perhaps what people admit to isn’t the best barometer of where we’re at with racism.

The only racial abuse I remember towards Sterling was by Chelsea fans when we played at Stamford Bridge once. Also a fair bit from England 'fans' during matches and tournaments.

Don't remember anything by City fans but I could be wrong?

Edit - seen above now. Mental. While any racism is totally wrong, I can understand (but not agree with) abuse towards a player after a mistake, in the heat of the moment. But that was one of our own players, after he'd scored. What kind of person do you have to be to do that?

 

[Maly]

And yet Sterling got racially abused by City fans and it’s rife in the sport generally.

Perhaps what people admit to isn’t the best barometer of where we’re at with racism.

I wasn’t aware of that, but that still doesn’t change the fact that I’ve never heard it from any fan of any club since the 80s

If you’re trying to defend his comments, why was Ali Benarbia idolised? Where was he from? What religion was he?

He’s chatting shite mate. My old fella isn’t keen on Mahrez. Fuck all to do with anything other than him believing a winger should beat his man on the outside & not slow the game down

He’s not overly keen on Grealish either for the same reason

So to suggest he’s not loved as much due to his place of origin &/or his faith is quite defamatory

Edit: Although I’m obviously aware there will be an extremely tiny minority who may dislike him due to his nationality or faith. Same with any other player at any other club, so why mention it?

 

[domalino]

still doesn’t change the fact that I’ve never heard it from any fan of any club since the 80s

I don’t know why you keep repeating this when we have so much evidence every season that racist incidents still happen.

You know it happens even if you don’t personally see it.

The denial that racism still happens at football grounds is what I replied to, I don’t really care about what Sam Lee writes, but the notion people like and relate more to celebrities who look like them and sound like them is hardly groundbreaking.

 

[Maly]

I don’t know why you keep repeating this when we have so much evidence every season that racist incidents still happen.

You know it happens even if you don’t personally see it.

The denial that racism still happens at football grounds is what I replied to, I don’t really care about what Sam Lee writes, but the notion people like and relate more to celebrities who look like them and sound like them is hardly groundbreaking.

Did anyone deny racism takes place in football?

You’ve either completely misinterpreted my post, I’ve written it poorly or you just want to discuss racism in football, when the conversation was clearly about a journalist insinuating Mahrez wasn’t loved as he should be by City fans due to his nationality or his faith

I don’t know why you keep repeating that racism occurs at football stadia? Do you think anybody doesn’t actually know this?

Now get off your high horse & take a chill my friend. I’m well aware racism occurs across all of life & have never & would never deny this :) xx

 

[cheekybids]

2 season ticket holders banned for life for racially abusing him in 2020.

City fan banned for racially abusing Sterling

Former season ticket holders served life bans by City

www.independent.co.uk

There’s about 100 racism related arrest at football grounds a season, and they’re all from supporters of clubs with black players. So OP might think no fans care about race any more but there’s plenty who go straight to it when they want to abuse a player.

Never knew about that.

I’ve never heard anything when I went but I remember Paul Hall Portsmouth saying he was racially abused & it was worse cos he was from Moss Side.

When I had a season ticket at the Etihad I saw sectarian arguments due to a flag being hung.

 

[kaz7]

No more sam tweets on here please , dont believe in him, trust his non specific transfer bollocks , he doesnt deserve the attention or any mention , that will kill him

 

[cookster]

Now get off your high horse & take a chill my friend. I’m well aware racism occurs across all of life & have never & would never deny this :) xx

Don't take it personally he's just after a Friday afternoon argument. You won the lottery ;)

 

[The perfect fumble]

2 season ticket holders banned for life for racially abusing him in 2020.

City fan banned for racially abusing Sterling

Former season ticket holders served life bans by City

www.independent.co.uk

There’s about 100 racism related arrest at football grounds a season, and they’re all from supporters of clubs with black players. So OP might think no fans care about race any more but there’s plenty who go straight to it when they want to abuse a player.

Plenty?

If this figure covers all professional football clubs in this country, then you need to factor in the huge number of games played in a season and the vast number of people attending, when you do all that you'll realise that 100 racism related arrests at football grounds in a season is infinitesimal.

To put it into perspective, over 37 million people attended games at UK football stadiums in the 2022/23 season

 

[schfc6]

2 season ticket holders banned for life for racially abusing him in 2020.

City fan banned for racially abusing Sterling

Former season ticket holders served life bans by City

www.independent.co.uk

There’s about 100 racism related arrest at football grounds a season, and they’re all from supporters of clubs with black players. So OP might think no fans care about race any more but there’s plenty who go straight to it when they want to abuse a player.

Cabt disagree with that. But if you asked why certain fans got on Sterling’s back, I’m guessing most would say it was down to his inconsistency and ability to miss the easiest of chances rather than his skin colour.

To suggest that Mahrez wasn’t idolised on the same level as say Aguero or Silva because of race or faith is disgusting, unless these’s a shit ton of evidence.

 

[Shirley]

No more sam tweets on here please , dont believe in him, trust his non specific transfer bollocks , he doesnt deserve the attention or any mention , that will kill him

Once a rag, always a rag

 

[kaz7]

Once a rag, always a rag

Indeed , his mask has well and truely slipped

 

[Blue_eyes]

Which journalist do you hope city ruin as an example after we're cleared of everything. We should have a poll and let the fans decide.

As a fan of "pop music", can we have a "Top 20" ?

A great idea, we could get Alan "fluff" Freeman to do the countdown like the old days on radio one.

All you pop picker blues out there have that rag loving twat "insert name here" at number five for total financial ruin..............not arf.

 

[its grim up north]

And yet Sterling got racially abused by City fans and it’s rife in the sport generally.

Perhaps what people admit to isn’t the best barometer of where we’re at with racism.

Fucking bollocks.

 

[ballbag]

I can't think of many ways of parting with cash for fuck all return that'd be worse than subscribing to sub-standard journalism from the athletic. It'll fold if they don't keep their tongues in the right arses.

 

[Zapcity]

Cabt disagree with that. But if you asked why certain fans got on Sterling’s back, I’m guessing most would say it was down to his inconsistency and ability to miss the easiest of chances rather than his skin colour.

To suggest that Mahrez wasn’t idolised on the same level as say Aguero or Silva because of race or faith is disgusting, unless these’s a shit ton of evidence.

Agree with this. All clubs have idiots (racist or not) supporting them, including us. Racism or any form of bigotry for that matter should be called out but implying what he did without concrete evidence is insulting and damaging.
Some years ago someone I know refused to celebrate Roger Palmer's last minute equaliser at the Swamp because of his skin colour. Another bigoted (gooner)fool I was speaking to once said SWPs dad ' wasnt really properly 'black 'because he was scoring shitloads for the team he supported!!??
Going back to both Sterling and Mahrez, undoubtedly some may have given them some stick for non football reasons. However, myself and most blues I know found them both pretty frustrating because of how talented they could be .Mahrez in particular was one of the most skilful players I've seen at City. Both could also be incredibly shit at times even appearing disinterested. Leroy could come into this bracket too, fantastic on his day but again at times didn't seem arsed!! He probably was, but just looked like he wasnt !!(this is almost the opposite of the Goat and even perhaps Zaba who were not necessarily the most gifted players but always appeared to be giving their all for the team)

 

[hammocity]

2 season ticket holders banned for life for racially abusing him in 2020.

City fan banned for racially abusing Sterling

Former season ticket holders served life bans by City

www.independent.co.uk

There’s about 100 racism related arrest at football grounds a season, and they’re all from supporters of clubs with black players. So OP might think no fans care about race any more but there’s plenty who go straight to it when they want to abuse a player.

Two City fans arrested, one each for abusing Sterling and Mings.

100 fans a year arrested you say? Seeing as about 30m fans go through the turnstiles in England’s top four flights every season that’s a very small number.

You’ll never eradicate racism and it’s not football where the majority of racist crimes occur. I don’t think out of all those arrests there’s been a physical assault, im not taking verbal racist abuse lightly btw but I would think there’s a lot more abuse that comes the online warriors on Social Media.

It’s a pity the Dipper plod didn’t arrest Suarez and his teammates for racist abuse, guess that was deemed acceptable in the media.

 

[hammocity]

Fucking bollocks.

Yep, I’ve not heard racist abuse at City since the 70’s and early 80’s. Also there was this woman on Sky last week saying women get misogynistic abuse at every football game. I’ve been going to football with my sister for the past 25 years and never once as she been in the end of negative comments. People of this generation are constantly looking for a clause celebre to hang their hat on.

 

[leo_city]

So Sam Lee thinks we’re all racists now.
Maybe that ‘single cell’ fella was actually one of his ‘Super Joey Hart’-style sock puppet pseudonyms

View attachment 87089

He’s not calling anyone racist here at all. He’s actually right about that, it’s a relatability factor. Could have put it in a much much better way, but then you’re asking for elevated journalistic standards, which is too much to expect from ‘The Athletic’

 

[Centurions]

...Another bigoted (gooner)fool I was speaking to once said SWPs dad ' wasnt really properly 'black 'because he was scoring shitloads for the team he supported!!??
...

Is that pretty much word for word? I just can't get my head around how anyone can think like that and not see it for what it is.

 

[bluenova]

Yep, I’ve not heard racist abuse at City since the 70’s and early 80’s. Also there was this woman on Sky last week saying women get misogynistic abuse at every football game. I’ve been going to football with my sister for the past 25 years and never once as she been in the end of negative comments. People of this generation are constantly looking for a clause celebre to hang their hat on.

I've heard it a couple of times in the last season, loud and obvious and directed at other fans, but unfortunately it was people behind me and neither time was I able to work out who it was. Many other fans will have clearly heard but nothing happened. Both those incidents were guys being aggressive to Asian fans, with the suggestion they were not proper fans, and made direct references to their race.

For players today, then clearly it's not constant bananas and monkey chants like in the 70s - it's probably something a bit more subtle that one person will see and others won't. Yaya, Sterling, and Mahrez got a lot more questions about their attitude, and were often referred to as lazy. Now there are probably times they did have a bad attitude, like all players, and no doubt many on this site will argue race has nothing to do with it, and for many fans it doesn't. But If City or England lose then the abuse is disproportionately directed at the black players, even if most people are self aware enough these days not to use racist terms.

I don't think Mahrez got as much abuse because he wasn't white as Sterling did, but I loved him as a player, and at times he dragged City to some big results. He may have had off games, but Kev plays a lot more FFS balls, than Mahrez did (because that's the nature of trying something special), and I didn't see a player that hid, any more than others when things weren't going well. Yet he is still given more grief for his attitude, and for being lazy, than most players.

It doesn't follow that all of the people that think that are racist, because every fan has their favourites, and players they don't think are up to much - but that's the kind of abuse the racists amplify and the kind of abuse they hide behind. We know there are millions of racist people in the UK, so of course there are plenty of racist City fans.

ps. that might have been a bit rambling - struggling to type at the moment, as I've just dislocated/fractured my shoulder, so just pecking it out with one finger painfully.