Can racism be eliminated from sport? This is the central question of Bose’s book, a series of interviews with players and administrators, principally from the worlds – despite the title – of English football and cricket. While modern technology means racist fans can be identified and banned, the advent of social media means most racial abuse now occurs online rather than on field. There is still only one current Premier League black manager (Patrick Vieira, Crystal Palace). The dearth of black coaches or administrators suggests an element of institutional racism, as does the almost complete absence of Asian footballers.
However, there are some positive signs. The FA has introduced a Football Leadership Diversity Code which requires specific numbers of black, Asian, mixed heritage and female participants to be interviewed and appointed to senior leadership and coaching positions. Players guilty of racist abuse now face a minimum 12-match ban. But a 2019 FA Cup match between Haringey Borough and Yeovil Town had to be abandoned when Haringey’s black players were abused, spat at, and had bottles thrown at them by the crowd before their manager led his team off the field.
The current British government has not really helped. Home secretary Priti Patel contended that fans who booed players “taking the knee” were within their rights. Former education secretary Gavin Williamson claimed he had discussed the school meals voucher issue with Marcus Rashford on Zoom (he had in fact spoken to Maro Itoje).
Where racism in Britain comes from is a bigger issue. Bose suggests it’s a legacy of the empire. It’s depressing to hear Brighton & Hove Albion’s media advisor Paul Camillin suggest there’s been an “uptick” in racial abuse following Brexit. If, as Chris Hughton suggests, racism will always be with us, the challenge is to create structures which will encourage participation by previously under-represented elements of the community. Bose has written a thought-provoking, worthwhile and at times fascinating analysis of how racism has blighted sport in Britain, and what might be done to change this.
