Managers point fingers but rainbow laces campaign needs them to lead by example
We are at the end of the second round of Premier League fixtures under this season’s Rainbow Laces campaign with Stonewall.
This week’s fixtures yielded fewer reports of homophobia from the stands.
The previous week had borne witness to a depressing frequency of such discriminatory chanting and abuse. Manchester United’s draw at Chelsea was marred by away fans allegedly repeating an old homophobic trope, one that is often levelled at Chelsea.
Manchester United’s manager, Erik Ten Hag, batted away a question addressing this in his post-match press conference.
He was gracious enough to admit that discrimination has no place in the game. But then he contested that home fans were equally discriminatory to Rapahel Varane when he came off injured.
Ten Hag said: “I think it doesn’t belong in the stands but when I mention the stands, I mean the whole stadium.
“Because also when Rapha Varane came out, it was the same, the other side, the Chelsea fans. So we all don’t do it [sic].”
This whataboutery and finger pointing of the highest order must stop. Using Chelsea fans’ behaviour as a shield for his own fans’ discriminatory abuse simply enables it.
Politicians get it badly wrong so often, football needs to be the agent for change it so often purports to be.
He must stand in front of the media and condemn discrimination. He may bring other examples to the table, of course, but we need managers to do so without deflecting from the actions of their own supporters.
What more was said?
A Manchester United spokesperson later said: “Homophobia, like all forms of discrimination, has no place in football. Manchester United is proud of our diverse fan base and the work we have done to reduce instances like we sadly heard at Stamford Bridge.”
It is a strange act to express pride at your community and educational work when your fans behave as they did last Saturday.
Ten Hag’s opposite number, Graham Potter, gave a diplomatic but largely unsatisfying response to the same question himself.
He said: “Well, it’s clear that we still have a lot of work to do.”
He was not, it should be stressed, asked about his own fans’ behaviour towards a tearful Varane. One has to initially wonder why but perhaps this itself is a question for another day.
His reply didn’t quite sit on the fence but didn’t really answer the question either.
Rainbow Laces campaign deserves better
LGBTQ+ fans should always feel welcome in stadiums.
During Rainbow Laces campaign they should not bear witness to managers refusing to take the lead on such an issue.
Yes, Varane was victim of vile behaviour, which was particularly unfair now his World Cup is in doubt.
But claiming diminished responsibility when it comes to discrimination of any kind is not appropriate defence.
Both acts are abhorrent and must be punished appropriately. So far, there has been no sign of action from the Premier League, however.
With such little action taken by football’s powers-that-be, it is unsurprising that so few professional footballers have come out. How can they be expected to do so with such little protection?
During the Rainbow Laces campaign, managers must tackle this issue properly when they are asked about it. They along with footballs senior figures must stand with the LGBTQ+ community as a whole.
With the World Cup in Qatar inbound, it is more important than ever to make strides against discrimination.
Further reluctance to act from all corners of our domestic game leaves us unable to back up those that put themselves at risk in the fight for a discrimination-free World Cup.
