From toe-hold to no hold: football and the English Defence League

Click on image for full-size

Jim Keoghan looks at the campaign to kick the English Defence League out of football

Since the English Defence League (EDL) first appeared in 2009, it has sought to make its presence felt among the country’s football fans. And although football might be a more tolerant sport than it once was, there remains a small element within the game that has responded to their overtures.

The majority of these supporters can be found among the ranks of the hooligan ‘firms’ that are still associated with some football clubs. These first emerged from the ‘casual’ sub-culture of the 1970s and 1980s as a way for fans who enjoyed post-match violence to organise themselves along team lines. Although these firms are much diminished today, some have survived, with several even enjoying continuity in membership.

According to Paul Jenkins, north west regional organiser for Unite Against Fascism (UAF), these fans represented a readymade army that the EDL could unite and organise: ‘Not all of the men in these firms – and it is just men – share the views of the EDL. But there’s enough that do for the EDL to have representation at several clubs. These are the people who are trying to bring racist and Islamophobic chants and language onto the terraces and who come out to protest and instigate violence on the streets with the EDL. At the moment you’re not talking about massive numbers, but the problem is that these people can be used to recruit other football supporters, something they are increasingly trying to do.’

What’s happening today has parallels with the 1970s and 1980s. Then it was the National Front (NF) organising among football supporters and managing to gain representation at several clubs, such as West Ham, Chelsea, Leeds and Millwall. Much of this representation was also drawn from the ranks of hooligan firms. Both the ‘Chelsea headhunters’ and the ‘Leeds United service crew’ possessed links with the NF.

Along with wider societal changes in attitudes towards race and religion, from the late 1980s onwards several factors combined to diminish the problems faced by the sport. The increasing prominence of ethnic minority players, the rise in the number of women, children and ethnic minority supporters attending games and a more aggressive approach by the police and the clubs in targeting hooligans (such as banning certain fans from a ground) all played a part in changing the face of the game. These have been complemented by a succession of anti-racist campaigns, such as Show Racism the Red Card and Let’s Kick Racism Out of Football, as well as anti-racism community work undertaken by the clubs themselves.

The EDL has also so far failed to make any significant impact among fans at England matches, despite this being an area where the far right has had a presence in the past. ‘I can honestly say that I have never seen any evidence of the EDL at England games over the last few years,’ says Mark Perryman of the England Supporters Club. ‘A lot of football hooligans are already banned from these games and few real fans would risk getting a banning order because of any suspected involvement with the EDL.’

The England team has also gone to great lengths to take a stand against racism – not least because they have been the targets of racist chanting and abuse at away games such as the recent Euro 2012 qualifier in Bulgaria. Both the manager Fabio Capello and captain John Terry made strong public statements on the subject before September’s game against Wales, where the team wore ‘Kick It Out’ armbands to stress their commitment to anti-racism.

But although the overall picture has improved, there remains inconsistency across the sport. In the lower divisions and in non-league football, a lack of adequate stewarding and enforcement of banning orders has meant that racism and religious intolerance remain more of a problem.

‘This is why the EDL has targeted clubs outside the top divisions,’ says national UAF organiser Paul Sillett. ‘In the lower leagues the EDL feels more confident in speaking out and organising.’

Worrying presence

While the EDL as yet is confined to the margins, the fact that it has been able to establish a presence at all is worrying. ‘They’ve got a toe-hold and a message that a lot of people give time to,’ says Paul Sillett. He believes that unlike the simplistic racist views of the NF in the past, elements of the EDL’s message today find an audience across a much wider swath of society.

‘The EDL portrays itself as a protest movement against militant Islam and excessive immigration, two perspectives that find sympathy among sections of our society,’ Sillet says. ‘There are plenty of football supporters, specifically young lads who like the appeal of being part of a gang and have an affinity with the patriotism that the EDL wrap themselves up in, who are going to be open to the superficially persuasive message that the EDL provide, specifically when they see aspects of it mirrored in the tabloids and echoed by certain leading politicians. These are people who might not consider themselves racist and would never use conventionally racist language but who nevertheless find the anti-Islam rhetoric of the EDL acceptable. This means that although the EDL might be confined to the hooligan fringes at the moment, it will not necessarily stay that way.’

According to Gav Sutherland from Show Racism the Red Card (SRRC), the rise of the EDL has to be taken seriously. ‘The increase in popularity of the EDL is having a big impact, particularly their targeting of young people. As an educational campaign that uses professional footballers to talk to young people about racist and religious intolerance, we will continue to do our best to tackle the myths and lies about Islam and Muslims that the EDL is trying to spread.’

These educational campaigns would be immeasurably aided if there were more British-Asian football role models. But there are only a handful of British-Asian professionals playing in England and they make up less than one in 100 young players in football academies.

At a club level, although many mirror the work undertaken by SRRC in their own communities, as yet there has been no specific action against the EDL, even among clubs where the EDL has been active. Instead, the strongest reaction is coming from the supporters themselves, who in the absence of any meaningful response from the teams they follow have decided to take matters into their own hands.

‘One of the most pleasing aspects of this is the way some existing casual firms have taken on the EDL,’ says Paul Sillett. He says that although the link between the far right and the hooligans is an established one, it’s not the whole story.

‘Back in the 1970s not all hooligans were racist. There were examples of mixed-race hooligan firms and examples of casuals that organised themselves against the NF, something that is also happening today. At West Ham their firm is active against the presence of the EDL.’

Fans fight back

Ordinary supporters are getting involved too. Across the country, fans are part of a growing grass-roots action against the far right. Bolton supporter Lindsay Bessells is one of many fans who joined with UAF last season in a concerted campaign to counter the presence of the EDL. ‘I’d begun seeing an increasing number of men at the Reebok stadium wearing EDL t-shirts and began to realise that this hooligan element in our fan base was partly responsible for the rallies that were happening locally, and for much of the violence that was associated with them. I felt that I had to get involved and do something to stop their influence spreading.’

By mobilising and engaging supporters the campaign has sought to mirror what the EDL has tried to do. But whereas the EDL has been appealing to a minority element within football, the anti-EDL campaign has been preaching to the majority, according to Linda Jones, who leafleted outside Bradford City’s ground.

‘We’ve leafleted a few times and now and then you might get people refusing to take one or telling you that they are sympathetic to the EDL but in general most fans support what we are doing. As in wider society, football fans as a whole are much more tolerant than they used to be. They recognise the EDL for what it is, just another incarnation of the far right – something that has no place in the modern game.’

This supporter-led action harks back to the late 1970s, when, in the absence of any action by the football authorities or the clubs, fans began to fight back against the influence of the far right themselves. This was often done in an organised way, with Anti-Nazi League groups being established by football fans at 20 or more British football grounds. And this more formal organisation is already evident today with the creation of anti-fascist organisations at clubs such as Leicester, Aston Villa and Tranmere.

‘Following the formation of the EDL we began to see the development of something worryingly reminiscent of the 1970s. It struck us that the best way to counter this was to organise properly, providing a better chance of countering the EDL’s propaganda,’ says Bidston Moss of the Tranmere Rovers Anti Fascist group (TRAF).

TRAF has already undertaken a mass leafleting of the ground and organised a number of anti-fascist social events in Birkenhead. The group has ambitious ideas for the future, with a possible outdoor festival and large evening events planned.

‘Our overall aim is to appeal to our supporters to resist sly right-wing “come-ons” from these far-right bigots,’ continues Bidston. ‘The EDL sing from the same hymn sheet as other far-right groups. Its demos are dominated by Nazi-saluting thugs and chants of “dirty Muslim bastards” and “we hate Pakis more than you” are evident whenever they congregate. This is the reality that football supporters need to understand – and it’s a message that more and more of us fans are beginning to spread.’

Red Pepper

Racist abuse made life hell on the pitch for ex-Carlisle Utd ace Dean Walling

The rhythmic monkey chants reverberated around the ground. Every header won, every defensive clearance and every tackle was met with a torrent of sickening racist abuse spat at him by rival fans.

Dean Walling, left

Dean Walling was determined not to let the mindless yobs distract him during a game but often back at home, away from the braying mob, he would be left devastated. Then, the Carlisle United defender would feel rage at the vicious hate campaign he had been forced to endure for 90 minutes.

“Every single time it happened I was tearful. It always hurt,” said Walling. “Who likes being called a n****r? Who likes having monkey chants and nasty obscenities directed at them? I blocked it out when I was on the pitch but it always got to me afterwards. I would think about it when I got home and think why I should have to take that.

“I remember going to Blackpool, Burnley, Preston and Bolton and getting a really hard time from their fans. They were making ooh, ooh, ooh noises when I got the ball. The north west clubs were notorious. They did it to try to put me off my game. They were mindless yobs. I’m quite a sensitive person and deep down it used to hurt inside and it was even worse if my family were watching, but I had a strong enough personality to dismiss what they were doing and focus on my game.

“Even though I was being paid to play, I shouldn’t have had to put up with s*** like that for £10,000-a-year. There were rules for one person and rules for another. It’s OK for footballers to be racially abused and called every obscenity under the sun, but you can’t retaliate and shout back at the fans.

“The manager at the time Aidan McCaffery was a father-figure to me as he brought me to Carlisle and he believed in me. He would always put an arm around me after a game and said the abuse was a consequence of the society we were then living in.”

Like the iconic deckchair strip he wore with pride, Walling, probably the most popular Carlisle player in the last 20 years, perfectly encapsulated the spirit, mood and optimism of the club in the mid-nineties.

What fans who idolised him didn’t know was the anguish he felt when he faced racist abuse from rival supporters. His revelations will horrify Carlisle fans who took the defender to their hearts and it comes at a particularly sensitive time as racism has raised its ugly head once again at the highest level, leaving Walling feeling despair and disgust that it has still not been banished completely.

The FA is awaiting the outcome of a police inquiry before deciding whether to charge England captain John Terry who is alleged to have racially abused QPR defender Anton Ferdinand, Patrice Evra claims he suffered racist abuse from Luis Suárez during Manchester United’s recent 1-1 draw with Liverpool.

Chelsea have been forced to condemn more allegations of racism by their own fans following claims one of them called Daniel Sturridge a monkey during the 1-1 Champions League draw at Genk earlier this month. And there are strong calls for Fifa president Sepp Blatter to resign after he claimed football does not have problems with racism.

As a teenage ball boy at Leeds United, Walling was given a brutal introduction to the abuse black players face.

He said: “I’m a Leeds boy and a massive Leeds fan and I can remember being at the side of the pitch as a ball boy when the fans were booing and chanting obscenities at black players. Yet people were clapping me when I threw the ball back. As a kid it really affects you and you don’t want to go to a match. No matter what colour, creed or religion, hearing that kind of thing hurts. I continued as a ball boy because Leeds were my team and always will be.

“My late father told me to rise above it because I was in a privileged position of being able to play football for a living. He urged me not to let mindless people try to put me off my game.

“What I witnessed stood me in good stead in the future because it made me strong and determined. You are so focused on your performance when you’re on the pitch. It’s when your mind goes in other places that there is the risk it will affect your game.

“When I signed for Rochdale when I was 18, it was during the eighties when racism in football was at its worst. There weren’t that many black players compared to today’s game and no foreign black players. Viv Anderson, John Barnes and Luther Blissett were the most high-profile.”

Despite high-profile campaigns and a truly multicultural workplace, with a quarter of footballers from black or ethnic minority backgrounds, racism is still rife in football.

Walling, a 1997 Wembley hero whose spot-kick in the penalty shoot-out helped Carlisle lift the Auto Windscreens Shield for the first time in their history, believes football has come a long way but people are fooling themselves if racism has gone away.

The 42-year-old said: “There is racism in football and anyone who says there isn’t is kidding themselves. It is high on the agenda at the moment because of the John Terry situation and rightly so. The PFA Kick It Out campaign and the Show Racism The Red Card campaign have tried to highlight the issue and they have worked in changing perceptions. I fear we will never stamp racism out of football completely because there will always be some bigot who can’t keep their mouth shut. People need to realise the hurt it brings players.

“I don’t know why footballers should have to put up with that kind of behaviour when it wouldn’t be accepted in any other industry. I was doing my job just like a postman, a gas board official or a builder.”

The one place Walling always felt comfortable playing was Brunton Park. Even in tough times on the pitch, he never feared Blues fans would start hurling racist abuse at him.

He said: “To this day, I can’t understand why I’m so popular in Carlisle because all I did was try my best and yet the fans treat me like I’m a hero. I never, ever faced any racist abuse from Carlisle fans. The fans were fantastic to me and still have a very special place in my heart. Playing for Carlisle has always been the best part of my career as it is where I enjoyed my best football, but I was very nervous about moving up there.

“When I signed for Carlisle in 1991, the city wasn’t as cultural or as diverse as it is now as a result of having a university, but I needn’t have worried because the fans were brilliant to me. To me, it looked like there were probably only two or three black people around Carlisle – and two of them were me and my best mate Rod Thomas – but we never got any abuse.”

News and Star

Wavertree Unites Against Fascism

Pictured are some of the protestors outside the BNP's national conference

Local residents, anti-fascists, trades unionists and councillors join protests against BNP National Conference in Wavertree.

Local residents, anti-fascists, trades unionists, local councillors, football fans and others joined protests this weekend against the BNP's National Conference, which was held at The Cricketers in Wavertree on Saturday and Sunday. The protest was called on Saturday by Unite Against Fascism who are opposing the BNP's use of the public venue - the BNP are believed to have held meetings in the same location previously.

Liverpool Council leader Joe Anderson joined protesters, to support the demonstration - during the weekend there were also representatives from local trade unions such as UNISON and the RMT in attendance at the pickets of the BNP conference. Unite Against Fascism [UAF] members reported strong support for their protests from local residents, who have voiced opposition to the BNP conference being held at the Wavertree venue.

The protests took place as North West UAF are launching their regional campaign - called "Griffin Must Go!" - to remove BNP leader Nick Griffin from his seat as Member of the European Parliament for the North West Region - which includes the Merseyside area. The UAF "Griffin Must Go!" campaign is supported by a number of North West MEP's, MP's and trades unionists, including: Alison McGovern MP for Wirral South, St Helens North MP David Watts, Billy Hayes of the Communication Workers Union, North West MEP Brian Simpson, Kate Green MP, Lisa Nandy MP, Julie Hilling MP, Jonathan Reynolds MP and former cabinet minister Peter Hain MP.

A "Kick Racism Out Of Football" banner was held aloft at the demonstration. UAF say this is significant because it is currently the national fortnight of action co-ordinated by Kick It Out - an organisation which works to get rid of racism in football. UAF supporters also reported a healthy reaction from local footballers, who voiced concern about the BNP Conference taking place in a venue which adjoined a sporting facility used by local sports players and members of the public. UAF leaflets were also distributed exposing the BNP.

Around 30 people attended the demonstration on Saturday, and approximately 40 on Sunday. On Saturday UAF protestors demonstrated for five and a half hours, and picketed Nick Griffin as he was driven out in a car at the end of the conference.

Darren Ireland, Branch Secretary of the Liverpool 5 branch of the railway workers union the RMT said:

"The fascist and racist BNP, with their discredited leader Griffin and local BNP leader Mike Whitby turned up for their small national conference at The Cricketers, Wavertree, Liverpool. The BNP seek to divide the working class, they seek to attack ethnic minorities with their vile discrimination. When you read about the battle of Cable Street some 75 years ago, the working class united to defeat the fascists. These battles are still being fought in Wavertree today. We must continue to unite as a class and fight to defeat these BNP thugs once and for all. Together we will defeat them, with the local community who were also against their presence."

Paul Jenkins, North West Regional Organiser for Unite Against Fascism said:

"The Unite Against Fascism protestors received an excellent response from local residents, as well as local football players using the adjoining venue. Both the residents and general public are outraged that a public and family venue has been hired out for use to the racist thugs of the fascist BNP. The UAF protest, and the support for it from local residents, shows once again that anti-racists are the majority and that the fascist BNP do not represent the people of Wavertree or anywhere else.

At the weekend we saw Nazi Nick Griffin off - now we want to see the BNP fuhrer off once and for all - North West Unite Against Fascism are launching our "Griffin Must Go!" campaign to remove the BNP Leader from his Seat as Member of the European Parliament for the North West Region, which includes Merseyside. UAF encourages people to attend the regional launch of this campaign next month in Manchester, and to get involved in the UAF campaign on Merseyside to show Griffin and the BNP that they are not welcome in Wavertree or anywhere else. Details about the campaign can be found at www.uaf.org.uk"

Carlisle Utd steward quits over support for English Defence League

A Carlisle United employee has resigned following reports that Brunton Park stewards were among supporters of the man jailed for burning a copy of the Koran. United spokesman Andy Hall yesterday confirmed that a steward has now left the club.

Andrew Ryan, 32, of Summerhill, London Road, Carlisle, was sentenced to 70 days in prison for intentional religious/racial harassment on Monday. He arrived at the city magistrates’ court flanked by men waving the St George’s Cross and shouting nationalist chants.

The English Defence League Carlisle Division (EDL) had put out a call for members to support Ryan. The News & Star received reports that some of the men were stewards at Brunton Park and the club launched an investigation into their identity.

Mr Hall said: “We received the News & Star’s photographs and are very thankful for it being brought to our attention. We looked at them with our safety staff who identified [one of the men] as a steward at Carlisle United. We contacted him, and he said he understood this could be misconstrued. He said that he would like to keep supporting the EDL. He said he would like to step down.

“The club will not tolerate any form of racist behaviour and, in conjunction with the FA and Football League ‘Kick it Out’ campaign, we are working strenuously to ensure that this issue does not arise at the ground.”

Mr Hall stressed that the steward offered his resignation. It is not illegal to be a member of the EDL.

Ryan was jailed for what district judge Gerald Chalk described as “theatrical bigotry” aimed at causing the maximum amount of distress. Back in January, he had stolen a copy of the Koran from Carlisle Library and burnt it in the city centre. He was shouting abuse about Muslims as he set light to the book and admitted in police interview that he knew his actions would stir up racial hatred.

Ryan has previous convictions for violence, public order offences and racially abusive chanting at a football match. He claims he only has issue with Islamic extremists and has no ill will towards ordinary Muslims.

From 16 to 20 Ryan was a soldier, serving in Northern Ireland. He said he “lost it” after seeing internet footage of extremists burning poppies.

News and Star

Brown leaves Leicester following BNP row

Preston North End have signed Wayne Brown following the defender's departure from Leicester City by mutual consent.

Brown was left out of Leicester's squad for their play-off semi-final matches against Cardiff after he angered teammates, including PFA chairman Chris Powell, by revealing he had voted BNP in the recent general election.

At the time, PFA Deputy Chief Executive Bobby Barnes expressed his disappointment at Brown's decision.

The PFA has worked for many years with a number of anti-racism bodies to try and eradicate racism from the sport, at all levels, and Barnes felt Brown’s actions had ‘set the movement back’.

“Football has worked hard over the years to really be a beacon in the fight against racism and it is very discouraging to hear these comments when you think of the tireless work so many people, and so many organisations, have put in to get to where we are today.

“In my day as a player you had to contend with racist comments coming from the terraces, so for this to come from within a dressing room is very, very disappointing and our members are angry that Wayne Brown was not prepared to abide by our mission statement.”

Kick It Out

Top clubs ban Welsh BNP goods

A leading member of the BNP in Wales has been forced to withdraw ‘racist’ football merchandise following threats from top Premier League sides.

Roger Phillips, the BNP’s deputy organiser for West Wales, is the director of the online operation Patriot Products.

Launched at the BNP’s Red, White and Blue rally in August, Patriot Products, which is not currently trading, sold an extensive range of nationalistic tat and clothing, including golliwog badges with the names of clubs such as Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. They depicted a golliwog with a football holding a scarf aloft with club names and colours. The official BNP merchandising store, Excalibur, sells the same golliwog badge holding an England scarf.

The anti-racism football organisation Kick It Out alerted the English clubs involved in September. It said of the clubs involved: “Some have contacted the website direct, some have deferred it to the club lawyers.”

One of the Premier League clubs, Chelsea, confirmed they had prepared to take legal action against Phillips last month but found the offensive items had been removed before action was required. A spokesman for the club said: “We absolutely abhor the sale of any racist merchandise. We took the necessary steps to prevent it.”

Welsh Secretary and Chelsea supporter Peter Hain said: “This man is the true poisonous face of the BNP not the respectable one they pretend to have.”

A spokesman for the Football Association said: “There is no place for racism in football and we utterly condemn any organisation or individual that seeks to encourage or make financial gain from it. We help to fund Kick It Out and work very closely with other anti-racism organisations to do as much as we can to eliminate racism in football.”

Mr Phillips, 42, whose Facebook photos include one of a cornflakes box with an open-mouthed black minstrel and the doctored logo ‘Coon flakes’, wrote: “I have had my business contacted by the FA and Sheffield Football Club trying to bully me into removing Golly badges from my range. Here is my response – FUCK YOU.”

Businessman Mr Phillips, who did not return our calls, revealed in a documentary on the BNP broadcast on S4C earlier this year, in June, that he would flout employment laws to avoid employing Muslims.

“As far as Muslims are concerned, I wouldn’t be happy to employ them,” he said. “There is a reason for that. They would want time off in the afternoons to pray. You’d have to sort out prayer rooms for them. I’m not going to do that. It’s up to me how I run my business.”

On his Facebook page Mr Phillips fantasises about hanging Gordon Brown and repeats the recently regurgitated lie by the BNP that Mr Hain is a former bank robber.

Mr Hain, a vociferous anti-apartheid campaigner, countered: “I would expect nothing else from the racists and fascists who have attacked me for 40 years now. Everyone knows that in 1975 I was a victim of mistaken identity and acquitted of bank theft when I was almost certainly set up by the South African police in the bad old days of apartheid which the likes of the BNP supported.”

A BNP spokesman dismissed the sale of golliwogs. He said: “We sell golliwog toys on our Excalibur merchandise site. We market the golliwogs basically to stick two fingers up to the establishment”.

Wales Online

Southampton fans targeted in English Defence League recruitment drive

A far-right group is attempting to recruit Saints fans to its ranks, a Daily Echo investigation has uncovered.

The English Defence League (EDL) last month launched a recruitment drive in Southampton to enlist football fans to march against “Islamic extremism”. The league, whose demonstrations in London, Luton and Birmingham led to violence, has infiltrated supporter’s online forums and the terraces of St Mary’s Stadium. Concerned Saints bosses have condemned the group and brought it to the attention of Hampshire police, Southampton City Council, Hampshire FA and football’s antiracism campaign Kick it Out.

Southampton Itchen MP John Denham, who is in charge of promoting inter-faith harmony for the Government, last night branded the group “troublemakers” and said he was confident most fans would have nothing to do with them.

The Echo can reveal Saints this week ordered Facebook to remove the club’s crest from an EDL campaign group founded on the social networking website. By yesterday 175 people had signed up to the “Southampton FC branch of the EDL”, which claims it wants to peacefully protest against “militant Islam within our shores”.

Desperate to disassociate itself from the fringe group, Saints were last night seeking legal advice to have the name Southampton FC removed from the website page.

A Saints spokesman said: “Southampton Football Club wholeheartedly condemns this type of racist activity. We were made aware of this group, and immediately took the relevant steps to ensure that any implied affiliation was eradicated. Further to this, we have notified members of the club’s Racism Just Ain’t Saintly committee of our concerns, and asked that these are passed on to the Premier League and Football League to make other clubs aware of these activities. This is something the club will be monitoring in the future as it clearly conflicts with our principles of a united, cohesive and integrated community.”

The right-wing radicals, whose emblem is a St George’s Cross emblazoned on a shield, hit the headlines in recent months after they fought running battles with anti-fascists protesters.

Saints fans were first invited to join the newly formed group on September 17 by a local organiser who goes by the online name of “Bigtonsfc”. In a posting on the supporter’s website saintsweb.co.uk he said they were a “fast expanding” group who “have had enough of Muslim extremists being allowed to shout about murdering British people and ruining our soldiers’ homecomings”.

It sparked an online debate about the pros and cons of the league that has continued for the past two weeks, however most fans appeared to dismiss the approach.

On the EDL’s own website, members have discussed the desire to organise a demonstration in Southampton. One poster also said a “few Southampton lads” were going to march in a protest planned for Manchester next Saturday.

A spokesman for United Against Fascists, (UAF) which has clashed violently with the EDL over the past two months, described the league as a “threat” and said news that Southampton FC was being targeted was a “very worrying development”.

“They claim they are not racist, but all of the evidence points in the opposite direction. There is no doubt that these are a group of hooligans who have decided they are going to go round multiracial areas to stir up trouble and attack Muslims,” the spokesman said.

Southern Daily Echo

Football tournament to bring refugees and local players together

Twenty football teams featuring players from all over the world will take part in a one-day tournament to mark National Refugee Week in Manchester.

Teams including a mixture of refugees, asylum seekers and British-born players will go head to head in the six-a-side Unity Cup held at Salford Sports Village on Saturday (June 16th). The tournament has been organised by Refugee Action, Salford City Council, Kick it Out, Manchester FA and Manchester City Council.

Football and fun

Gerard Devaney, community development worker at Refugee Action, said: "This event will see players of all abilities and from many different backgrounds coming together for a day of football and family fun.

"Refugee Action has been involved in Refugee Week football tournaments in Manchester for the past seven years and are delighted that this year it is being staged in Salford. This tournament and sport as a whole can help refugees and asylum seekers to integrate into their community and feel a real sense of achievement."

Teams

The countries represented in the Unity Cup include Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Cameroon and the Yemen. There are also mixed teams of refugees and British-born players.

There will be no lack of entertainment for spectators and youngsters, as there will also be a free buffet and play workshops for children organised by Salford Grumpy.

The Unity Cup will take place at the Salford Sports Village on Littleton Road, Kersal from 11am until 5pm. Entrance is free and all are welcome.

Kick it out

Model's 'monkey' jibe fuels race row

Miss Scotland becomes the latest celebrity forced to apologise after an offensive on-air comment about a black singer

The reigning Miss Scotland was embroiled yesterday in the latest racism row to be played out in the media after she called the black singer and actress Samantha Mumba 'a monkey' on a live radio programme. Nicola McLean, 22, later insisted she was 'not racist' and apologised for her remarks. She joins a string of politicians and celebrities who have had to apologise recently for inappropriate language on race.

At the end of a week when Patrick Mercer, the Conservative's homeland security spokesman, was sacked following a furore prompted by his remarks about 'idle and useless' ethnic minority soldiers, McLean's outburst has fuelled the debate around race and language. The beauty queen made the remarks live on Radio Clyde in Glasgow during a conversation about possible new judges for the X Factor talent show on TV. After Mumba, an Irish actress, singer and model, was described as 'attractive' by one of Radio Clyde's presenters, McLean said she thought she 'looked like a monkey'.

Yesterday, McLean admitted the remark was foolish but maintained she is not a racist. 'I am new to this job and have learnt that sometimes flippant remarks can be perceived in a negative manner. There was no malice or premeditated thought here, just a simple mistake and for that I am truly sorry.'

The Observer can also reveal that the Commission for Racial Equality has demanded fans of Tottenham Hotspur stop calling themselves 'Yiddos' or the 'Yid Army' - a reference to the club's strong Jewish links. The CRE says such behaviour could fuel anti-semitism. 'It is clear that in this day and age racist attitudes and comments are not acceptable,' said a spokeswoman. 'It is the responsibility of all of us to ensure regressive comments such as these do not undermine the achievements that have been made in race equality.'

The commission's intervention has given renewed impetus to an issue that has bitterly divided opinion among the club's supporters, Jewish groups and campaigners against racism in football. It comes as the police investigate video footage showing some West Ham fans chanting, 'I'd rather be a Paki than a Jew' during their 4-3 defeat by Spurs last Sunday.

Piara Powar, director of the Kick It Out campaign against racism in football, said: 'We have had complaints from fans that the chant is used regularly at White Hart Lane. One guy was in his seventies, had fought in the war and was Jewish, and he was deeply offended. A young fan went to Spurs with his dad and sang it but then used the word "Yid" inappropriately in the school playground.'

Jon Benjamin, chief executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: 'The term "Yiddo" has always been regarded as abusive. It comes from the Russian "zhid" and means Jew. It is highly offensive and always has been.'

Race awareness campaigners say there is no excuse for those in the public spotlight failing to appreciate how their words will have political repercussions. 'The first time I was called a Paki I didn't even know what it meant,' said Denis Fernando, of the National Assembly Against Racism (NAAR). 'It was only when I understood the hatred behind the word and was able to put it into context I realised it was hurtful. People have got to understand the social structure behind words.'

Nevertheless, Britain appears to be much less concerned than New York over the relationship between language and race, according to race awareness campaigners. Last year, Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles had an on-air spat with actress Halle Berry after he adopted a faux black American rapper's accent. 'Are we having a racist moment here?' asked Berry, a suggestion furiously denied by the breakfast presenter.

DC Thomson, publisher of the Dandy, provoked outrage shortly before Christmas when it reissued a 1939 anniversary edition of the comic in which a character - Smarty Grandpa - used the word 'nigger' repeatedly. And the image of reality TV star Jade Goody was severely damaged after what many viewers believed was her racist bullying of a fellow Big Brother housemate, Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty. Yesterday it emerged police have dropped their investigation into the affair. Goody was forced to apologise to Shetty following her remarks. 'I'm not racist, but I can see why it has had the impact it's had,' she said.

More recently, the media have been criticised by some for repeated references to Lord Levy's Jewish background, leading to claims that certain stories about Tony Blair's Middle East envoy and chief fundraiser contain 'a whiff of anti-semitism'.

Race equality campaigners are now starting to express alarm over the number of politicians and celebrities who provoke fury over their allegedly racist comments but issue what are perceived to be only half-hearted retractions in which they deny their racist undertones. 'The relationship between language and race is extremely important,' said Milena Buyum, coordinator for the NAAR. 'In a court of law proving someone used the word "nigger" before an attack can be used to show it was a racist attack, which can add an extra two years on the sentence.'

Such an example is an overt link between race and language, but Buyum is concerned at the increasing preponderance of more subtle behaviour surfacing in popular culture, such as Jade Goody ridiculing Shilpa Shetty over her accent and her food while in the Big Brother house.

This argument, however, is met with a sharp retort from some cultural commentators who complain the Big Brother row was another example of 'political correctness gone mad'. Last week a head teacher accused police of overreacting when eight boys were arrested for chanting, 'Yid army' during a leaving ceremony at Chauncy School, Ware, Hertfordshire. Likewise, Mercer's comments last week drew support from many quarters, not least a number of black soldiers who served under him.

A growing backlash against multiculturalism has made tackling racism increasingly difficult, according to experts. They warn complaints from both liberal and right-wing commentators that multiculturalism hasn't worked and that ethnic communities are failing to integrate is perpetuating the fear of 'otherness'.

Additional reporting by Denis Campbell and Lorna Martin

They said what?

'She should fuck off home'
Former Miss Great Britain Danielle Lloyd talks about Bollywood movie star Shilpa Shetty live on Celebrity Big Brother.

'Shilpa Poppadom'
Jade Goody's name for Shetty.

'A fucking lazy nigger'
Ron Atkinson talking about Marcel Desailly, Chelsea's black defender, believing his TV microphone was off.

[I came across a lot of ethnic minority soldiers] 'who were idle and useless, but who used racism as cover for misdemeanours'
Former Conservative spokesman for homeland security Patrick Mercer.

'I'm a black American guy. A big fat black guy'
Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles interviews Halle Berry.

'Suicide bombers and limb amputators'
TV presenter Robert Kilroy-Silk's description of Arabs in a newspaper article.

Observer

Racist chants at West Ham investigated by police

West Ham United's season took a turn from the shambolic to the shameful on Sunday when large groups of supporters were filmed chanting racist and anti-semitic slogans at half-time of the club's 4-3 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that its football unit is investigating a complaint made by the Community Security Trust, an organisation that protects Britain's Jewish community from anti-semitism. Among the chants heard was one stating: "I'd rather be a Paki than a Jew".

Clips of the chants had been posted on the YouTube website by a member going by the username of "cockneymatt88". The trust noted that the number in the username might have been a neo-Nazi reference, the 88 being the eighth letter of the alphabet twice over, standing for "Heil Hitler".

Though the username took down the clips at about 5pm yesterday the Football Association had already forwarded the video to police. The FA will request that West Ham provide all available CCTV footage to investigators, and will push for prosecutions and for football banning orders to be imposed on guilty parties.

There had been a storm of protest from Tottenham fans to their club, who in turn lodged a formal protest with West Ham. "We have contacted West Ham and they are conducting an investigation," said Tottenham, "we are awaiting the outcome of that." West Ham distanced themselves from the actions of a section of their supporters while pointing to their own anti-racist credentials. "West Ham is a leading [anti-racist] campaigner and will not tolerate racist behaviour of any kind," said the club. "We will investigate this matter fully, attempt to identify the perpetrators and take the appropriate action."

The FA's head of stadia, Chris Whalley, will write to the relegation-threatened club today to demand an explanation for the security and stewarding provisions it has in place. The FA will want to know why there was no intervention from stewards to put a stop to the chanting, which took place at half-time when the home side were leading Spurs 2-0.

Piara Powar, director of the Kick It Out anti-racism campaign, said: "There are very, very clear guidelines given to stewards; there is a section on the training programme about how to deal with this sort of incident.

"Either these guys have not been trained in the right way or they have ignored their training and were too frightened to intervene. This had the classic ingredients: a passionate match, a relegation-threatened club against one known as a Jewish club. It's a throwback and it shows we can't be complacent."

Guardian