Players Planning To Boycott The 'Lets Kick It Out' Campaign

[ashton287]

Football brings out the worst in people. A few t shirts wont make a difference to anything. You can't force people to think how you want them to think.

The refusing to wear the t shirts on the other hand has had this talked about up and down the country, in newspapers, twitter, facebook, before during and after every game, on sports programmes and in the normal news. More publicity then they could afford for free. They should thank camel gob and lescott and every other player that refused to wear it.

[JamieMCFC]

"At the press conference yesterday I spoke to the press about it. It is embarrassing for me. He will be dealt with, no doubt about that," Ferguson told Sky Sports in reference to Rio.

Ferguson underlined his annoyance on the club's website.

"I'm disappointed. We did that in support of the PFA (Professional Footballers' Association) and every player in the country should have adhered to that.

"We're all wearing the badges and he goes and lets us all down. We'll deal with it, don't worry."

[King Kev]

I can't believe Oxfam have failed to put an end to famine in Africa!

To show my disappointment I will be staging a public protest against them (rather than doing something to help tackle famine).

[london blue 2]

I can't believe Oxfam have failed to put an end to famine in Africa!

To show my disappointment I will be staging a public protest against them (rather than doing something to help tackle famine).

Silly comparison.

Oxfam help raise money etc

Kick it out help raise awareness etc

Roberts and rio and lescott etc have given the issue more media coverage than the tshirts alone. This can only be a good thing IMO.

[King Kev]

I can't believe Oxfam have failed to put an end to famine in Africa!

To show my disappointment I will be staging a public protest against them (rather than doing something to help tackle famine).

Silly comparison.

Oxfam help raise money etc

Kick it out help raise awareness etc

Roberts and rio and lescott etc have given the issue more media coverage than the tshirts alone. This can only be a good thing IMO.

I think the idea is to stamp out - or kick out - racism rather than merely to raise awareness.

My analogy may be a extreme but the fact remains that both Oxfam and Kick It Out have failed to achieve what they set out to do. I don't think the people who work for either charity deserve to be criticised for their efforts.

[JamieMCFC]

I can't believe Oxfam have failed to put an end to famine in Africa!

To show my disappointment I will be staging a public protest against them (rather than doing something to help tackle famine).

Silly comparison.

Oxfam help raise money etc

Kick it out help raise awareness etc

Roberts and rio and lescott etc have given the issue more media coverage than the tshirts alone. This can only be a good thing IMO.

I think the idea is to stamp out - or kick out - racism rather than merely to raise awareness.

My analogy may be a extreme but the fact remains that both Oxfam and Kick It Out have failed to achieve what they set out to do. I don't think the people who work for either charity deserve to be criticised for their efforts.

Isn't Kick it out funded by the FA?

[Bluez]

At the moment the Kick it out week does sound like its a run of the mill thing. The players are given a T shirt and they put it on, how much do they actually think about it? Roberts etc have attracted more attention than anyone who was actually wearing a T shirt. If the point is to get rid of racism, then they have probably achieved more by not wearing it than by wearing it.
One problem is still that bans are not long enough. On one hand the FA is saying Serbia should be banned for a number of tournaments, yet JT only gets 4 games.

Start banning players for 20 games. While it won't get rid of the attitude, it will get rid of the behavior

[aaron bond]

At the moment the Kick it out week does sound like its a run of the mill thing. The players are given a T shirt and they put it on, how much do they actually think about it? Roberts etc have attracted more attention than anyone who was actually wearing a T shirt. If the point is to get rid of racism, then they have probably achieved more by not wearing it than by wearing it.
One problem is still that bans are not long enough. On one hand the FA is saying Serbia should be banned for a number of tournaments, yet JT only gets 4 games.

Start banning players for 20 games. While it won't get rid of the attitude, it will get rid of the behavior

I agree with your last part.

If a supporter was to use racist language at a match, I'd imagine he/she would receive a lifetime ban from the ground, not to mention a possible prosecution.

Footballers should face the same sanctions as any other person would receive.

[Ted Hughes]

At the moment the Kick it out week does sound like its a run of the mill thing. The players are given a T shirt and they put it on, how much do they actually think about it? Roberts etc have attracted more attention than anyone who was actually wearing a T shirt. If the point is to get rid of racism, then they have probably achieved more by not wearing it than by wearing it.
One problem is still that bans are not long enough. On one hand the FA is saying Serbia should be banned for a number of tournaments, yet JT only gets 4 games.

Start banning players for 20 games. While it won't get rid of the attitude, it will get rid of the behavior

I agree with your last part.

If a supporter was to use racist language at a match, I'd imagine he/she would receive a lifetime ban from the ground, not to mention a possible prosecution.

Footballers should face the same sanctions as any other person would receive.

Unles they claim to have said: " I never called you a..." before shouting their vile racist abuse.

I'm sure nobody would ever fall for a pathetic excuse like that though...oh wait..

[Beefymcfc]

I don't think anybody is criticising the Kick it Out campaign, I think it's more aimed at showing the authorities that their perceived stance is not working. There's no way a campaign can work effectively while the powers that be make a mockery of all it stands for.

[Nigels Tackle]

I don't think anybody is criticising the Kick it Out campaign, I think it's more aimed at showing the authorities that their perceived stance is not working. There's no way a campaign can work effectively while the powers that be make a mockery of all it stands for.

the kick it out campaign is staffed by 7 people and has a budget of 500k.

i'd be interested to know their thoughts on the t-shirt issue...

[JamieMCFC]

Players that didn't wear the shirt.

Anton Ferdinand
Nedum Onuoha
Junior Hoilett
Djibril Cisse
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Steven Pienaar
Sylvain Distin
Victor Anichebe
Joleon Lescott
Rio Ferdinand
Jason Roberts

[King Kev]

Players that didn't wear the shirt.

Anton Ferdinand
Nedum Onuoha
Junior Hoilett
Djibril Cisse
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Steven Pienaar
Sylvain Distin
Victor Anichebe
Joleon Lescott
Rio Ferdinand
Jason Roberts

So, if all the white players wore shirts supporting an organisation that is trying to stop racism and refused to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their black colleagues in their protest against racism.
Who are the racists?

[Mase]

So, if all the white players wore shirts supporting an organisation that is trying to stop racism and refused to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their black colleagues in their protest against racism.
Who are the racists?

5 people in that list aren't black, but mixed race. Unless we'd class Giggs as black??

[Sister of fu]

Players that didn't wear the shirt.

Anton Ferdinand
Nedum Onuoha
Junior Hoilett
Djibril Cisse
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Steven Pienaar
Sylvain Distin
Victor Anichebe
Joleon Lescott
Rio Ferdinand
Jason Roberts

Plus the whole of the Swansea team and Wigan team who all stood by team mates that didn't want to wear them.

[Nigels Tackle]

So, if all the white players wore shirts supporting an organisation that is trying to stop racism and refused to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their black colleagues in their protest against racism.
Who are the racists?

5 people in that list aren't black, but mixed race. Unless we'd class Giggs as black??

i class giggs as a cunt

[King Kev]

So, if all the white players wore shirts supporting an organisation that is trying to stop racism and refused to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their black colleagues in their protest against racism.
Who are the racists?

5 people in that list aren't black, but mixed race. Unless we'd class Giggs as black??

I didn't say all the players on the list are black.

[Mase]

i class giggs as a cunt

Goes without saying!

[JamieMCFC]

So, if all the white players wore shirts supporting an organisation that is trying to stop racism and refused to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their black colleagues in their protest against racism.
Who are the racists?

Here the thing I can't stand the camel faced cunt. But I completely understand why he wouldn't support an organization like Kick It Out. They are funded by the FA the same group that gave a racist a slap on the wrist for racial abusing his brother. Who chose the racist over him for the Euro's.

To answer your question neither. The white players along with some black players might feel that Kick It Out is doing enough to combat racism in the game. Others are going to feel that Kick It Out is nothing more than lip service by the FA.

[Chinners]

Signs a club no longer cares about a player: Ferdinand/Ferguson edition

Yesterday, I had my first say about Alex Ferguson’s threats. Today, it’s getting worse. Reports out of England have Manchester United considering a large and hugely significant fine for Rio Ferdinand, one that could represent a breaking point between player and club. If the fine happens (and right now, the reports are nothing more than informed speculation), it will signal a surprising amount of disregard for player who has been a club figurehead for over a decade.
When did Manchester United stop caring about Rio Ferdinand?

It bares repeating that this is all speculative. Manchester United has yet to sanction Ferdinand, but given manager Alex Fergusonhas already hinted his veteran defender will be punished, it’s fair to discuss the potential implications. At least one decent source feels comfortable saying the fine could be over $350,000 (£220,000). Don’t expect Ferdinand to overlook the fact John Terry received an identical fine for the racial abuse of this brother, QPR defender Anton.
Rio ardently supported his brother, his public backing a potential factor in his exclusion from England’s Euro 2012 squad. Those same principles were in play when Rio decided to forgo his show of support for “Kick It Out,” declining to wear the T-shirt all players were asked to adorn during this weekend’s pre-game warmups. That Alex Ferguson had guaranteed (on Friday) his players would wear the endorsement left the manager’s with egg face. How dare one of his players defy him.
Had Ferguson not so capriciously hit out at Jason Roberts (the first player to say he wouldn’t wear the T-shirt), this controversy could have been avoided. Why was Ferguson speaking about Roberts, exactly? Presumably because he’d been asked, but his comments showed an amazing level of callus candor, a level of arrogance shocking for even an elite manager. In a profession that requires its members to be hyper-confident, Ferguson transcended self-assurance to disregard.
Why didn’t it occur to him that Rio Ferdinand was likely to join in Roberts’ stance? Or worse, if it did occur to him, why did Ferguson choose to create a test of his players’ loyalty, pitting principle against club?
When did Alex Ferguson stop caring about Rio Ferdinand?

Whenever it happened, it was also the likely starting point of Ferdinand’s exit from Manchester United. This course can still be changed, but if Manchester United fines Ferdinand – and fines him as much as John Terry was docked for attacking Anton – it’s hard to see Rio staying with the club. This is a man whose outspoken principles probably cost him a spot at Euro 2012. It’s a man who refused to wear a mere T-shirt that would counter those principles. He’s not a man that’s going to see this fine as tenable.
And Manchester United should know this. Alex Ferguson should know this. Why is the club taking such a strong stance, one that could be construed by some as an endorsement of accepting half-measures to tackle racism in soccer? As Ferguson persistes with a prideful defense of some offhand remarks, he’s cast Manchester United as disloyal, insensitive, and intolerant to one of their players’ views.
It may be time for United’s higher-ups to step in (as if there is anybody “higher up” than Alex Ferguson). A year ago, as then-Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish stubbornly (but loyally) persisted in his misguided support of Luis Suárez, the Anfield bosses came in and established a new course. The defense stopped. The debate ended. United’s bosses need to do the same. They need to tell Ferguson that this conflict can’t stay on in the public space.
There’s still time for Ferguson to walk back from this, and he can do so in a way that doesn’t have to admit fault or confess his arrogance. Tomorrow, the club could issue a statement saying that the issue is an internal matter, and further discussion in the media will only serve to complicate what is becoming a sensitive topic between two important Red Devils. ‘No comment’ will become the club’s public face, letting people assume Ferguson will have his way behind closed doors (even if he forgoes the fine).
If Ferguson persists with fining Ferdinand? Not only does he deserve the controversy, scrutiny, and derision from voices louder than this one, he deserves to lose Rio Ferdinand. Perhaps we’ll see Ferdinand at White Hart Lane in three months. The club, if they don’t step in, they deserve to be considered enablers. As much as Liverpool’s critics wanted to brand the club after the Suárez affair, Manchester United will deserve to be judged for condoning Ferguson’s actions.
Hopefully, none of those actions will take place, but even if there’s an abrupt change of course, Ferguson’s actions of the last three should be remembered. And not for the right reasons.
When did Alex Ferguson stop caring about Rio Ferdinand?