Alex Finnis writes in the University of York’s York Vision about the levels of racism in football across the globe:
The dark cloud of racism loomed ominously, fit to burst, over this English Premier League season. Several incidents threatened to overshadow what turned out to be one of the best seasons in the league’s history before enough was done on the pitch to seemingly sweep it under the rug.
Liverpool’s Luis Suarez reminded the country of a problem many had thought, or at least hoped, had been close to eradication when he was banned for eight games for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra. But after the expected outbursts of outrage and his rightful condemnation, football stole the show again. The cloud may still produce a downpour next January when Chelsea’s leader and former England captain John Terry goes on trial for alleged abuse of QPR’s Anton Ferdinand. But in the end, the season escaped largely unharmed – its most dramatic of curtain calls ensuring that it will, in years to come, be remembered by Manchester City’s incredible maiden Premier League winning campaign, and the cloud will most likely disappear into the realms of forgotten history.
Outside of the British Isles however, it is an entirely different story. With the European Championships currently being held in Poland and Ukraine, there are serious concerns, highlighted recently in an episode of BBC’s Panorama, entitled Euro 2012: Stadiums of Hate, that the tournament will be entirely destroyed by racism.
Full story here.
