Four people have been suspended from attending matches by Chelsea football club as a result of investigations into allegations of racial abuse towards Manchester City player Raheem Sterling.
The incident occurred during City’s 2-0 defeat against Chelsea on the 8th of December. Chelsea worked with Sterling and Manchester City during the investigations and ended with a statement coming from the Chelsea camp:
Chelsea finds all forms of discriminatory behaviour abhorrent and, if there is evidence of ticket holders taking part in any racist behaviour, the club will issue severe sanctions, including bans. We will also fully support any criminal prosecutions.
The incident came to light because after the match, Sterling took to Instagram with a post expressing his thoughts about how black and white players are treated differently from particular sections of British media. Sterling drew a connection between the negative way that black players are portrayed and their treatment by the public.
However, several media personalities denied Sterling's claim of the connection, among them Piers Morgan, and this is where the problem lies. Morgan and too many other distinguished public figures cannot be trusted to take the issue of racism seriously. Another example is Katie Hopkins, former columnist of the Sun, who at the time described African migrants drowning in the Mediterranean as "cockroaches".
The people responsible at these media outlets should either choose their representatives better or work closer organisations such as the Black Collective of Media in Sport to ensure greater representation for black people in the field.
Many prominent football figures such as Guardiola, Hazard and Klopp supported Sterling in his actions especially since he has been one of the most players to be subject to abuse by fans. Personally, I admire Sterling for what he did, even handling this ordeal professionally and with dignity.
It is well known that Sterling is dedicated to his job and is a family man. Furthermore, he even makes time for interviewers and media activities in a way that other England players do not (even having his own YouTube channel) and yet he is subject to so much criticism. I think it mostly started during his time at Liverpool and the way it ended. At Liverpool, he was reported as toxic and when he transferred to Manchester City, he was portrayed as a young black kid only interested in a big money move rather than the football itself.
Additionally, the fact that he has improved so much as a player under Guardiola at City, and is now a key player for England, gets him even more negative attention and criticism from the media. All in all, I feel that we have come a long way in abolishing racism in football, especially in terms of awareness. Yet, I know that we still have a long way to go as the abuse received by Raheem Sterling is indicative of a wider picture of unacceptable intolerance.
