Edgar Davids returns with his second Footballers' Football Column with strident views on racism in football. Barnet's player-manager calls for UEFA chief Michel Platini to leave his post if he continues to fail to rid the game of abuse. With 11 major trophies to his name and more than 20 years in professional football, 'The Pitbull' has plenty to say and he's worth listening to
I want to discuss racism in football. It’s time to take drastic measures because enough is enough. Clubs have to be pushed or punished. Zero tolerance is the only way.
We talk about it and talk about it but nothing really drastic happens. There are guidelines and the referee can forfeit a game. But then you also punish the away team. So how come such a small group of people take the whole stadium hostage?
You see all these FA, UEFA and FIFA committees but who is actually on them? I don’t see any black people there. Where are the black guys making decisions at that level of sport?
How can you know what racism is like if you have never experienced it? It’s very difficult to imagine. Ex-football players like Lilian Thuram or Clarence Seedorf would be ideal. They are great ambassadors for football and for the black community.
If Michel Platini can’t do enough about racism in football, then he should step aside and get someone in who can or should. He keeps making noises about racism but it’s not good enough if there are probably people there (boardroom) who don't take it seriously .
You have to stand up for the minority and if you don’t do that we don’t need you, so you have to step aside. Let somebody else do it because if not is looking like a façade.
At the moment it seems like there is no communication between players who are racially abused and the governing bodies.
I can see this going on for years and years and nothing effective is going to happen. It would be Utopian to think football can stop racism altogether, but it can certainly send out a big signal to say: 'This is not acceptable'.
Sepp Blatter missed the point and a opportunity when he said players should just shake hands at the end of the game. You shake hands and then what happens? The lesson is not learned. Blatter's words gave out the wrong message.
I want to discuss racism in football. It’s time to take drastic measures because enough is enough. Clubs have to be pushed or punished. Zero tolerance is the only way.
We talk about it and talk about it but nothing really drastic happens. There are guidelines and the referee can forfeit a game. But then you also punish the away team. So how come such a small group of people take the whole stadium hostage?
You see all these FA, UEFA and FIFA committees but who is actually on them? I don’t see any black people there. Where are the black guys making decisions at that level of sport?
How can you know what racism is like if you have never experienced it? It’s very difficult to imagine. Ex-football players like Lilian Thuram or Clarence Seedorf would be ideal. They are great ambassadors for football and for the black community.
If Michel Platini can’t do enough about racism in football, then he should step aside and get someone in who can or should. He keeps making noises about racism but it’s not good enough if there are probably people there (boardroom) who don't take it seriously .
You have to stand up for the minority and if you don’t do that we don’t need you, so you have to step aside. Let somebody else do it because if not is looking like a façade.
At the moment it seems like there is no communication between players who are racially abused and the governing bodies.
I can see this going on for years and years and nothing effective is going to happen. It would be Utopian to think football can stop racism altogether, but it can certainly send out a big signal to say: 'This is not acceptable'.
Sepp Blatter missed the point and a opportunity when he said players should just shake hands at the end of the game. You shake hands and then what happens? The lesson is not learned. Blatter's words gave out the wrong message.
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