He admitted using the word 'negro'.
But said it was done in a friendly way.
Despite the video evidence clearly showing otherwise
The Firmino Holgate incident.
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He admitted using the word 'negro'.
But said it was done in a friendly way.
Despite the video evidence clearly showing otherwise
He was smiling when he said it
If Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino is proven guilty of racial abuse, the Football Association will know exactly what to do with him. There is a process, there are precedents, there will be a severe punishment.
The system is not perfect, but it exists. Luis Suarez received an eight-game ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra. If guilty, Firmino’s punishment will be in the ball park of that, as it should be.
If, on Tuesday morning, Firmino was in hospital with a broken back, however, the FA would be scrambling for direction. Bobby Madley, the referee, plainly saw him pushed at speed towards a concrete obstacle by Everton defender Mason Holgate. Yet he awarded no punishment, not even a yellow card
So the incident was witnessed, and dealt with. The fact it could have ended a player’s career, or changed his life irrevocably, is not the point. The FA have plenty of procedures to deal with words, it is deeds they cannot handle.
This is no defence of Firmino, if Holgate heard him correctly. However angry he may have been, there are plenty of epithets he could have used to express his feelings without mentioning race. He does not get a free pass, no matter the provocation.
Yet, equally, to underplay Holgate’s behaviour because of the aftermath does every footballer, black and white, a disservice. There is a duty of care on the playing field, which Holgate spurned. As the FA, too, have no way of addressing this, they have also failed in their duty towards professionals.
Make no mistake, what Holgate did at Anfield was at the extreme end of recklessness. He delivered a firm, two-handed push to the back of a player travelling at speed towards the touchline, which propelled him into and over the walled barrier surrounding the pitch. We hardly need to speculate further about any injury that could have resulted because the potential consequences are limitless.
There is a reason a mid-air hit or a spear tackle in rugby is at least a sin-bin offence, because the consequences of a heavy fall can be so great. Holgate had no control over what happened to Firmino after his push, he did not know whether he was going to nimbly leap the obstacle or career head first into it. He did not know if he would land on the other side with a bruised ego or a broken neck.
That was why, in the part of Firmino’s outburst that can be understood, he asked Holgate, ‘Es maluco?’ It means: ‘Are you crazy?’
But Holgate isn’t crazy. He’s not even that exceptional in a sport that has never taken violence as seriously as lesser acts. All anyone needs to know about football’s tolerance of violent play is that Roy Keane received a heavier ban (five games) for writing about an atrocious tackle on Alf Inge Haaland in his autobiography than he did for actually perpetrating it (three games).
David Elleray having issued a straight red card, the FA thought they could take no further action at the time. But when Keane detailed the incident in lurid terms, admitting he meant it, they sprang into action.
So while a panel now sits to pore over accusations of simulation, there are no repercussions for behaviour that could have consequences considerably further reaching than a dodgy penalty.
Outsiders new to our game are mystified by this. Ask Pep Guardiola whether he is more vexed by Wilfried Zaha going to ground easily or the Jason Puncheon tackle that could have broken Kevin De Bruyne’s leg.
Yet, once the final whistle blows, incidences of violence are considered to be over. Even when a player, Iain Hume of Barnsley, ended up in an induced coma, the FA could not bring themselves to consider further action against Chris Morgan, his assailant. What are they frightened of? And if brain damage did not challenge this flawed reasoning, what will?
So now, while an investigations team grinds into action to unravel the claim and counter-claim of what Firmino said to Holgate, an open and shut case against a player who could have caused serious physical injury to an opponent is ignored. And, yes, racism has been responsible for extremes of misery and suffering through the centuries and must be addressed. But mindless acts of violence are no lesser crime.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...Would-FA-act-Roberto-Firmino-broken-neck.html
The system is not perfect, but it exists. Luis Suarez received an eight-game ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra. If guilty, Firmino’s punishment will be in the ball park of that, as it should be.
If, on Tuesday morning, Firmino was in hospital with a broken back, however, the FA would be scrambling for direction. Bobby Madley, the referee, plainly saw him pushed at speed towards a concrete obstacle by Everton defender Mason Holgate. Yet he awarded no punishment, not even a yellow card
So the incident was witnessed, and dealt with. The fact it could have ended a player’s career, or changed his life irrevocably, is not the point. The FA have plenty of procedures to deal with words, it is deeds they cannot handle.
This is no defence of Firmino, if Holgate heard him correctly. However angry he may have been, there are plenty of epithets he could have used to express his feelings without mentioning race. He does not get a free pass, no matter the provocation.
Yet, equally, to underplay Holgate’s behaviour because of the aftermath does every footballer, black and white, a disservice. There is a duty of care on the playing field, which Holgate spurned. As the FA, too, have no way of addressing this, they have also failed in their duty towards professionals.
Make no mistake, what Holgate did at Anfield was at the extreme end of recklessness. He delivered a firm, two-handed push to the back of a player travelling at speed towards the touchline, which propelled him into and over the walled barrier surrounding the pitch. We hardly need to speculate further about any injury that could have resulted because the potential consequences are limitless.
There is a reason a mid-air hit or a spear tackle in rugby is at least a sin-bin offence, because the consequences of a heavy fall can be so great. Holgate had no control over what happened to Firmino after his push, he did not know whether he was going to nimbly leap the obstacle or career head first into it. He did not know if he would land on the other side with a bruised ego or a broken neck.
That was why, in the part of Firmino’s outburst that can be understood, he asked Holgate, ‘Es maluco?’ It means: ‘Are you crazy?’
But Holgate isn’t crazy. He’s not even that exceptional in a sport that has never taken violence as seriously as lesser acts. All anyone needs to know about football’s tolerance of violent play is that Roy Keane received a heavier ban (five games) for writing about an atrocious tackle on Alf Inge Haaland in his autobiography than he did for actually perpetrating it (three games).
David Elleray having issued a straight red card, the FA thought they could take no further action at the time. But when Keane detailed the incident in lurid terms, admitting he meant it, they sprang into action.
So while a panel now sits to pore over accusations of simulation, there are no repercussions for behaviour that could have consequences considerably further reaching than a dodgy penalty.
Outsiders new to our game are mystified by this. Ask Pep Guardiola whether he is more vexed by Wilfried Zaha going to ground easily or the Jason Puncheon tackle that could have broken Kevin De Bruyne’s leg.
Yet, once the final whistle blows, incidences of violence are considered to be over. Even when a player, Iain Hume of Barnsley, ended up in an induced coma, the FA could not bring themselves to consider further action against Chris Morgan, his assailant. What are they frightened of? And if brain damage did not challenge this flawed reasoning, what will?
So now, while an investigations team grinds into action to unravel the claim and counter-claim of what Firmino said to Holgate, an open and shut case against a player who could have caused serious physical injury to an opponent is ignored. And, yes, racism has been responsible for extremes of misery and suffering through the centuries and must be addressed. But mindless acts of violence are no lesser crime.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...Would-FA-act-Roberto-Firmino-broken-neck.html
You are back in Nigeria (I spent 5 years there) ? I thought you lived in Ireland.
I deported him
Sorry JJ but the problem with that approach is that racists would then be free to use the word - and they would, in a derogatory fashion. It's not like e.g. 'fuck' which is now globally fashionable and doesn't raise quite the attention it did in our youth. It would probably be best to make the word illegal and then hope it would eventually (generations) fall into disuse.
Fair comment, Froggy. The principle of having rules which apply equally to all is overridingly important IMHO, and overall I worry that there are too many people making too much of an industry out of "taking offence" these days, but in this particular case I'd agree that it would be best to rule the word in question out for everyone.
Haha.
Nah, I'm in London. Borned and raised here. Nigeria is just my spiritual home. I go back once a year. Abeokuta. Where did you stay?
My name is a weird one. The Murphy bit comes from my Stepdad (a white Irishman!).
My mate has a Nigerian dad and a scouse mum, and he said when he was feeling all disenfranchised and without an identity he could relate to (probs just that weird age in your teens) his dad said go back to the town he was from and see what he felt, and he told me the first thing that happened was a woman told her kids that they'd had to be good or she would set the 'yellow man' on them. So he'd been thinking he'd find his spiritual home but he just got a load of shit and people staring at him and decided it was well better over here. It was only a small place, I don't doubt Lagos or whatever is a lot more cool.
How long ago was this!?
And yeah, Lagos has become pretty multicultural now. Much like Kaduna and Abuja (where there are airports).
There are plenty, plenty Indians and Chinese coming to Nigeria to work now.
@ibromurph - my lil bro may have a few business trips to do to Nigeria every year now ... can you give him some tips (he's on the site) before he flies where to stay, restaurants to hit up etc
The weird thing from his perspective at the time and from mine now is he appears standard Nigerian British mixed race. Not yellow.
Thought there would be some news on this incident today.
Where will he be staying in Nigeria? Lagos? Abuja? I'll see if I can help with suggestions but to be honest, I'm more British than Nigeria and usually have my Dad (and Cousins who live there) take care of me whenever I go, each year. In terms of where to go and what to eat, etc..
Holy moly.
Frank Castle would like a word
Lagos & Owerri !
Now ?! I was there 35 years ago and there were many many Indians and a lot of Chinese too ! 😀
FSG paid Holgate to kick off so everyone forgot we won't replace Coutinho. Pass it on
For some reason I always pictured you as a white 6ft tall freckled Irish guy with black hair.
There has been a long history though of black people 'owning' that word in particular.
Ha, Ireland deports all non drinkers, bad for the economy.
Ironically most Guinness and produced and consumed in Nigeria.
Seeing Dreamy in a thread about racism always makes me feel about as relaxed as the organiser of an MC Hammer convention in a minefield
You can't touch this.
You can't touch this.
You can't touch this.
You can't touch this.
You can't touch this.
You can't touch this.
You can't touch this.
Lagos is a crazy place, been there loads of time. Great people but very dangerous.
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