Penalties. Penalties again. I kicked some furniture and headed to bed. Disappointed. But I awoke from a disturbed night feeling proud. And then ashamed as the headlines seeped through, sullying my morning. England football ‘fans’ fighting. Racism on social media. And then an Englishman the subject of hate in Germany, for no other reason than his Englishness. It should have been about the football, about the men on the pitch who do a better job of representing England than the loud visible minority of England ‘fans’ that hit international headlines could ever dream about.
I am over losing the final. I am not over the thuggery and the racism.
Penalties
Are you even an England football fan if you have not had your heart and dreams broken by a penalty shoot out? Gareth Southgate, current England manager, knows all there is to know on this topic. It was his missed penalty that meant England crashed out in the Euros 1996 semi-final. You’d think we’d be used to the heartbreak. But we are not. As soon as the whistle signals the end of extra time, every English fan’s heart sinks. We know. We just know. But we hope anyway. That’s the nature of the football beast. That’s the beauty of the game. Anything is possible. Even though, actually, it probably isn’t.
And there always has to be that one player with Three Lions on his chest that has to step up to the penalty spot with a nation’s hopes and dreams on his shoulders. Two of his teammates had already missed their penalty. This time around we placed the burden of the last penalty on the young shoulders of Bukayo Saka, just nineteen years old. That’s courage.
The Visible Loud Minority of England Football Fans
There are England fans you hear and see on the television, in the news, and on social media. The question is are these the fans that represent England? The scenes of bottle throwing and destruction in central London – does that represent the average England football fan? Those outraged by the images filling their social media timelines, do you hear their fury? Or are their voices stilled by the weight of the images?
Those audibly booing the national anthems of opposition teams in the stadium – are these people representative of the rest of the nation? How many people sat at home watching and listening uttering words of disgust as anthems were booed, I wonder. Those voices go unheard.
The England football ‘fans’ abusing Italian fans. Do they represent you, dear England fan?
What about the men on the pitch? Are we, as a collective, representing them? Are we following their lead?
England’s Squad
Where should I start? The England team took the knee before every game they played in this tournament. Why? Because diversity is at the heart of this team. And racism and bigotry still has a significant seat at the football table. Not just in England.
“In a letter to England supporters last week, England manager Gareth Southgate said players had to ‘recognise the impact they can have on society’ and deserved ‘the confidence to stand up for their teammates and the things that matter to them as people’.”
Metro 14 June 2021
The booing of ‘fans’ for the team taking this action has been audible. And it hit media headlines. But the majority that respect the team’s actions make no sound.
Harry Kane wore a rainbow armband in support of the LGBT+ community, in solidarity with the German team. Using a world stage to highlight the injustice of inequality.
Marcus Rashford, (age 23 years) has relentlessly campaigned for measures to combat child food poverty and homelessness in the UK. He is not the only England team member to take a stand on these issues either.
The England team has stated that they will donate money heading their way for reaching the final to the NHS. Individuals in the England team have played a key role in fundraising for NHS charities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
These actions are a truer representation of us than the loud visible minority ever could be, surely.
Racism
England players have been subjected to horrific racism across social media channels after missing penalties last night.
Perhaps taking the knee wasn’t gesture politics after all, as a prominent MP stated in June. Maybe making a point of the racism and inequality that team mates endure wasn’t just a gesture at all. Perhaps, just perhaps, the issue is a real one.
Who’s Representing Who?
The England team represents us. The team represents the country. That’s how it usually is. But in this case, in this particular tournament, it seems that a loud visible minority of ‘fans’ represent us, represent England. That is the image of England portrayed internationally. These are the people making the headlines on the Dutch news this morning: arrests, violence and racism. The final is almost a sideshow, the football almost overlooked.
Whilst we should be busy being proud of a team that has finally, in my lifetime, reached the final of a major tournament, we are instead hearing and seeing the vile actions and slurs of a significant minority. Our football experience has been tainted by a loud visible minority. England, the country, is tainted by a loud visible minority.
Nobody other than England fans wanted England to win yesterday. That’s the place in the world the loud minority has carved out for us all. This is the status the loud visible minority has earned England. It’s the reason a lone Englishman is hated simply for being English, as he stands watching a football game in a crowd of Germans. It’s why those of us living abroad don’t fly our flags proudly.
Should the silent majority perhaps rise to the task and represent this team, and more importantly England as a country? The answer is ‘of course’. But how?
Take a Stand
The loud visible minority is certainly being heard and seen today. It’s time for the silent majority to stand up and do something about that. Take the lead from the actions of the men on the pitch, who quietly and authoritatively, are taking a stand. Let the real England be seen.
Football. It’s not just a game. It’s a mirror held up to society. And when what it is reflecting does nothing to make the silent majority proud, it’s time for the majority’s voices to be heard.
Post Comment