Punish Spain hard for Sport racism

Abuse again

Hearing that the golden boy of Formula 1 racing was racially abused in Barcelona, Spain was quite disheartening.

Louis Hamilton stirred the imagination of motor racing fans and the general populace when in his rookie year (2007) he lead the championship for almost half the season and it was down to the very last race before a champion was crowned with him coming second in the championship points.

I am of the view that McLaren his team wanted to stage an amazing climax in what really should have been concluded in China at the penultimate race – the rest is history.

Louis Hamilton’s motor-racing skills proved he was not a token equal-opportunities face and it pitched him against a two-time champion who being unable to retain the mystique of his achievements over the young lad turned the championship into a rivalry within the team that cost the team very dear.

They have form

There are some who would say that the animosity Louis has suffered from Spanish crowd stems from the soured relationship he had with Fernando Alonso but that would really be disingenuous to say the least.

The Spaniards have form when it comes to the racist abuse of people of colour and it has been exhibited by people as highly placed as the Spanish coach.

English football players of colour have heard despicable monkey chants which really should have one thinking, who really is playing monkey – definitely, not the one being abused.

Other players of colour in the Spanish league have been subjected to this primitive behaviour of assuming to be of a superior standard of race and rectitude.

A fitting punishing deterrent

It would appear the sanctions that have been levied against the perpetrators and the Spanish sporting authorities have not served as enough a deterrent to stop this loathsome attitude.

If is includes taking to two Formula 1 races out of Spain to more deserving countries with responsible fans, then it would not be a sanction too great to teach a very hard lesson.

The picture of blackened faces with Hamilton Family vests cannot be a costume party joke regardless of the anger fans might have felt about the Hamilton-Alonso rivalry .

To eliminate racism in sport, the pain of punishment must be felt very hard and the one about Hamilton must be taken as a general trend rather than a particular instance.

The same racist Spanish fans of motorsport could as well be football fans doing the same thing – until proven otherwise a fitting sanction and punishment must be meted out forthwith.

Like Hamilton, I love the city of Barcelona but would not condone this behaviour, somebody had better be doing something before a groundswell of indignant inquisition wipes the Spanish of the sporting slate.

We look forward to Louis Hamilton going for goal this season but not with this kind of nonsense coming into the foreground.

Thank you Mr. Steve McLaren

Like I said before

When I predicted on my blog of March the 26^th 2007 that England would be looking forward to the European Championships having failed to qualify for Switzerland/Austria 2008, many would have thought I was a bit too cynical.

I took issue with the fact that Steve McLaren was appointed to a position beyond his capabilities with the less than complimentary remark that a drill sergeant had been appointed to the post of general.

What I did not know was that the whole of the British Isles, the five countries of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland would not be represented at that competition.

Steve McLaren has been sent on his way with thanks but no gratitude for what he has done for the country with the record of being England manager with the shortest tenure.

He had a 50% win rate but he did not win the important matches though it puts him in the middle position of successes amongst the 11 England managers so far.

This sacking should not be too painful for Mr. McLaren since he will walk away with a cool GBP 2 million for the severance of his contract – now that is what I call good negotiation terms.

New man for a hard job

The quest for a manager that would take us to the World Cup begins in earnest and probably this is where Jose Mourinho might be the man of the moment – we do not need entertaining football, the fans would always come out for a winning country as opposed to a mechanical league team.

I am disappointed that the head of the football manager would roll and the people (Brian Barwick for instance) who made the dastardly decision would be sitting pretty making other atrocious decisions that might just consign the fatherland of football to the scrapheap of history.

Maybe there is a case of having more indigenous players in the English league, because I can recall from memory more foreign player names than I can the English, the strategy has to be subtle and grown from the grassroots.

I am fed-up of having to recall as a toddler when England last raised a cup of any dignified import, there is something wrong and it needs to be fixed – I want to be able to say – Come on, England and see the glory that should belong to English football rise like a phoenix.

Jinxed McLaren

One does wonder if the name McLaren is not jinxed, this qualifying session went down to the wire just as the Lewis Hamilton’s title race with the McLaren Formula 1 team, it makes me wonder if the English should not be waving goodbye to every similitude of McLaren in whatever sport.

Meanwhile thank you very much Mr. McLaren enjoy your 2 million smackers and spend it wisely.