Greg Clarke has resigned as Chairman of the Football Association for ill-considered comments he made while being interrogated by MPs. He used the term “coloured” to describe black, Asian and minority ethnic people and suggested that “different career interests” led south Asian people to choose careers in IT over sport. He also described a gay player coming out as a “life choice” and recounted an anecdote about girl footballers being afraid to be hit by the ball.
According to a survey of UK sporting organisations, the term BAME (Black Asian and Minority Ethnic) is “insulting” and should be retired. Arun Kang, the CEO of Sporting Equals, is suggesting that “ethnically diverse communities” (or “diverse ethnic communities”) should be used instead. We seem to be running out of inoffensive acronymns and euphemisms. I’m not surprised that Greg Clarke used an anachronistic term; despite his elevated position within the FA - and salary to match - he’s not the sharpest knife in the box. It could even be seen as an honest mistake by a man who failed to keep abreast of current trends in racial terminology.
Ironically, you only have to attend a football match, or watch a game on TV in a febrile pub atmosphere, to hear language unmoderated by any attempt to avoid offence. “A fucking lazy thick nigger” was pundit Ron Atkinson’s verdict on Marcel Desailly after a match, when he thought his microphone had been switched off. I wonder what percentage of the population believe that only white people can genuinely claim to be called English or British. The majority, I suspect.
Licensed today, for TV use: a night scene in Carlisle…
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