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David Cameron pledges government help to drive racism out of football David Cameron pledges government help to drive racism out of football
(about 5 hours later)
David Cameron has pledged government support to stop football being dragged back to the "bad old days of the past" ahead of a Downing Street summit aiming to tackle racism in the English game. Swift action is required to "crush" any return of racism to football before it impacts on wider society, David Cameron said on Wednesday. The prime minister said he had seen for himself the influence that behaviour on the pitch could exercise over young children and others off it.
The prime minister said the summit would help "crack" the issue of race discrimination which has recently re-emerged with a string of high-profile incidents at the top of the sport. But, speaking at the opening of a Downing Street anti-discrimination summit with former players and football leaders, he expressed confidence that the good work of two decades in battling prejudice in the sport would not be lost.
Writing in the Sun ahead of the summit, which involves players, governing bodies and anti-discrimination groups, he said: "Recently racism has come back into the spotlight, with cases involving some of the most famous players in football, one of which has led to the resignation of the England manager. "If everyone plays their role, then we can easily crush and deal with this problem," he said. "We will not let recent events drag us back to the bad old days of the past."
"We simply cannot brush this under the carpet. Football will crack this problem – and the government stands ready to help. I am absolutely clear: we will not let recent events drag us back to the bad old days of the past." He told the panel, including the former England players John Barnes and Graeme Le Saux, that he often took his young son to local football matches and had seen the impact the game had. "What happens on the field influences what happens off the field. You see children as young as six imitating the behaviour they see on the field. So this is not just important for football, it's important for the whole country."
The culture secretary Jeremy Hunt will also attend the summit, which comes after the government revealed plans to put £3m into the Football Association's new National Coaching Centre, St George's Park. Cameron said there were many "extraordinary role models" among professional footballers but that problems with racism had "crept back in".
Cameron said more black and minority ethnic people were needed as top-level managers and coaches and that the new FA centre in Staffordshire would encourage them to progress in the game. "We want to make sure football is all about a power to do good, rather than anything else," he said.
He added: "Football has an enormous influence on young people. Like every other parent, I want to be sure when my children see their heroes play they aren't let down by foul, racist or violent behaviour. The event to promote a more "inclusive" sport comes amid fears that high-profile incidents are harming football's image. This month Liverpool's Luis Suárez was forced to apologise for refusing to shake hands with Manchester United's Patrice Evra before a game. Suárez had only recently returned to action following a ban for racially abusing Evra during a game in October.
"Footballers can be great role models who the public admire. But it can go the other way. If children see bad behaviour on the television or at the stadium they may copy and reproduce it in the playground." The England defender John Terry is due to face trial over the summer accused of racially abusing QPR's Anton Ferdinand. Terry denies the charges.
The event to promote a more inclusive sport comes amid fears that high-profile incidents are harming its image. The meeting is also looking at homophobia, with Amal Fashanu, who recently made a documentary about homosexuality in the sport, 14 years after her footballer uncle Justin hanged himself, among those attending.
Those taking part in the discussions include the former players John Barnes and Graeme Le Saux. Amal Fashanu, who recently made a documentary about homosexuality in the sport, 14 years after her footballer uncle Justin hanged himself, will also attend. Cameron said the UK should be proud of the "fantastic achievement" of the campaign to rid the sport of racism over the past two decades – noting that other countries had failed to take similar action. "I hope what we can agree today is to make sure that everybody who has the ability to deal with this issue takes the steps they can. I am sure we can crack this problem."
Representatives from the Football Association, the Premier League, the Football League, the Professional Footballers' Association and the League Managers' Association are also due to be there. That included the government, clubs and other football bodies, he suggested.
At a charity reception last month, Cameron said many people had been "concerned by recent events". The FA chairman David Bernstein said the FA was working from the grass roots up to deal with the issue and was determined not to allow any complacency because of the past success. The governing body had already shown its willingness to deploy "very tough sanctions where necessary", he said – calling for action across the board from fans to players to managers, chairmen and authorities.
"My message is clear: we will not tolerate racism in Britain. It has absolutely no place in our society and where it exists, we will kick it out. Our football governing bodies, clubs and footballers themselves have a vital role to play as role models in this respect."