I didn't watch the game, I didn't even realise England were playing. There was a time England meant almost as much as City to me, not anymore.
UEFA and FIFA are ****s, they are the guilty parties here because they have allowed racist behaviour to be normalised by their ineffectiveness at dealing with it. When City get fined more for being a minute late on the pitch than the other team gets fined for racist abuse aimed at Mario what message does that send out?
I clicked on the BBC Sport website this morning looking for City news and there is widespread condemnation of what happened last night, rightly so, but where was this condemnation when it happened to Mario? Where were these hypocrites then. You are either against all racism or you are as bad as the Bulgarian fans last night, because inaction is confirmation bias. It is supporting of racism aimed at Mario but not at England players and that is hypocrisy at the highest level. Where were the likes of Ian Wright when Mario was being abused?
Where was this widespread condemnation when Raheem was being subjected to dreadful racist abuse across our own country? There was not the level of condemnation that I have read this morning. You either stamp it all out or you are simply saying some racism is OK as long as it is directed at certain people and certain teams. In effect that is what has happened, the ruling powers have effectively normalised it as long as it is directed in a certain way.
These England "fans" who are now condemning it are just as guilty, Raheem got dreadful abuse across the country and hardly anybody condemned it, only that Chelsea fan got sanctioned for it, but anybody who goes to a City away game knows full well that it goes on everywhere we go.
The FA have to put their own house in order first and start setting an example that others can follow. If it is allowed in the PL, the most watched league in the world it is no surprise to me that fans from other countries think it is normal behaviour because it is allowed to go unpunished in England.
Finally it might make UEFA take action and people might start to realise why the UEFA anthem is booed so loudly at City because racism aimed at our players has been widely ignored and sanctions against those who are racist are minimal and ineffectual as last night proved again.
I am virulently anti racist and anti fascist and what happened last night is highly disturbing, it has to be stamped out and if that means banning countries from tournaments, then ban them. I don't buy into the "players will suffer for fan actions" argument as the players should also be condemning the behaviour aimed at fellow professionals. Fines are ineffectual, it just fills the coffers of the games administrators jolly fund, so don't fine, ban and ban for a considerable length of time. Closing stadiums doesn't work because those with money will always get to see games because of the corporate nonsense associated with modern football. So don't close stadiums, ban the teams, if they do it again, ban them for a generation, if they do it again ban them for life. There really should never be any racist or fascist chanting or symbolism associated with football and it has to stop.
It starts at home though and our FA has to set an example, not through this pathetic "kick it out" campaign but through real action. If a teams fans abuse Raheem, relegate them, if they abuse a player in the division below relegate them again. If they produce fascist symbolism do the same thing, relegate them and relegate them again. Fining them is pointless.
I genuinely feel for the England players who suffered the racist abuse last night and maybe they should also take a stand and refuse to play until proper action is taken. By proper action I don't mean condemnation from a few journos and the head of the FA but from the powers that head the football world.
Football is a game that should be enjoyed by the masses not an event used by fucking morons to express outdated idiotic opinions and until those who use football are sanctioned then I am afraid it will get worse.
