'Racism hasn't gone away': Paul Elliott says football risks a return to the dark ages

The former Chelsea captain says a zero-tolerance policy must be introduced to root out all forms of racism and discrimination

Change required: Paul Elliott says the reporting of comments from players needs to be addressed

Rex

Paul Elliott, Chelsea?s first black captain, has warned that football risks returning to the Dark Ages after John Terry was cleared of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand .

Black players from the late 1970s and ?80s like Elliott, Viv Anderson, Garth Crooks and Cyrille Regis all suffered ?appalling racist abuse from supporters.

While acknowledging Terry?s innocence, Elliot said: ?My worry is that the verdict will deter people from taking action in the future.

?My concern is how will ?referees now react when they hear that sort of language on Sunday mornings? Will black players be protected?

?The reporting process ? when black players have been abused ? now needs to be ?addressed.

?I can?t believe that in the 21st century we?re still talking about these things. The vociferous abuse, particularly via social networking, is a 21st century version of the ugliness I used to experience.

Cleared: John Terry was found not guilty of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand

Reuters

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?Racism hasn?t gone away. It?s been managed very well in ?stadiums at the elite end. But at the grass roots there are still big concerns.?

Thirty years ago, racism was rife in the game. Chelsea?s Paul Canoville was abused by his own fans when he made his debut and, in 1987, Liverpool star John Barnes back-heeled a banana off the pitch.

Elliott, the Kick It Out ambassador, went on: ?I respect the fact that Terry has been cleared, but the FA will decide whether their rules have been broken.

?The real victim is Anton Ferdinand and his family. They are the ones who should be ?getting support now ? not ?condemnation. Anton has been dragged through the mire. The defence tried to undermine his credibility.?

Victim: Elliott says Ferdinand and his family should now be getting support

David Dyson

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During the five-day trial, Terry admitted calling ?Ferdinand a ?f****** black c***? but disputed the context in which the words were said.

?How will this translate on the parks and pitches of grass roots football, from under-eights to adults?? added Elliot. ?That?s the real concern. That?s where there should be zero tolerance to all forms of racism and discrimination.

?Is that phrase going to be used now as a joke? Are people going to think they can get away with that kind of thing?

?When I started my career at Charlton Athletic, there was a very strong National Front presence at stadiums all over the country and I was part of an ethnic minority of players trying to force itself into the game. There was monkey chanting, banana throwing and other abuse.

?We don?t want to go back to the bad old days.

?People talk about banter and industrial language on the pitch but there are boundaries. Those words should never be uttered on the pitch.

?It would be a massive wrong if they were used on a Sunday by kids and refs let it go or said: ?Well, John Terry said it?.

?The game?s image has ?suffered globally. All around the world, they?ve been reading about the trial and have been shocked and stunned by it

?Footballers are highly-paid role models and they influence the fans. Football is a great way for people to express themselves and break down barriers ? so this is a very sad outcome.?

<a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/john-terry-will-help-tackle-bad-1143317" id="_1ddffbb5-ee27-4cf6-a3e8-4a30167052db">Language lessons: Terry to help eradicate bad on-pitch behaviour concerns in PFA meeting

Cleared: Chelsea captain John Terry found not guilty of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand

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Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/paul-elliott-says-racism-in-football-1143295

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