Using headline pics of Bukayo Saka for England defeat is NOT racism

I’ll always defend Bukayo Saka. Ever since Friday several media outlets have been questioned why out of all the English players to pick from was the 22-year-old chosen to be put on the back pages while reporting the Three Lions defeat to Iceland. Especially when the substitute only played 25 minutes at Wembley.

Only editors know why that’s the picture they chose, but many observers have hinted it’s racially motivated.

From Ian Wright, Lewis Hamilton, Kick It Out to journalist Darren Lewis, a who’s who of Sport have accused these journalists of targeting Saka based on the colour of his skin.

I thinks that’s a leap and is an accusation that shouldn’t be made without evidence.

In 2024 it feels like language is being dictated to us, certain words you can’t now use because it’s decided they suddenly mean something else. It would be sad if those reporting on the National Sport now feel obliged to select images based on anything else but Football.

Former Gunner Ian Wright posted on social media, “those deciding who goes on the back pages know what they’re doing’.

I adore Wrighty but he’s skeptical about the same industry that rightly also condemned the abuse Saka, Rashford and Sancho received at the last Euros and who proudly reported the thousands of letters of support all three had waiting for them when they got back to their clubs.

The same Saka who the public have voted twice to be Player of the Year. So, let’s make it clear the majority of his country adore the Gunner.

F1 icon Hamilton was more direct in what he published on X: ‘We need to hold the English media accountable for systemically vilifying Black players. The constant scapegoating of Black players needs to stop. This endemic racial discrimination has no place in football, yet countless news outlets suggest otherwise.”

Representing the Mirror, Mr Lewis wrote: “Just because I work in the media it doesn’t mean I can’t acknowledge the concern about Bukayo Saka being used as the face of England’s defeat and poor performance”

Like when David Beckham was the face of our France 98 elimination.
Or why Southgate to this day is mocked for his Euro 96 pen?
Wayne Rooney didn’t dominate the headlines no matter what?
Lampard and Terry were not ever booed by their own fans? Something Henderson recently experienced.
There wasn’t a campaign to force Harry Maguire to be dropped.

Type in Google, France 2-1 England, Iceland 2-1 England or England 0-4 Hungary there is not one certain look, culture, religion, being targeted.

Ask Xhaka if the fans in the UK who discriminate make white players immune from having death wished on your wife or your baby getting cancer?

When I watch Football the only colour, I see is the colour of the shirt.

I of course can only speak for myself, but I have never read a newspaper or scrolled online and felt the content was being motivated by racism.

It’s one thing though to accuse a writer of being racist, it’s another to suggest that they should be held responsible for other people’s actions.

Take the following from the Kick It Out Chief Executive who claimed: “Many fans will have woken up on Saturday morning and questioned whether anything has changed at all.

“Heading into Euro 2024, fans are rightly asking whether the current England squad will see a repeat of what happened to Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho after the last Euros final where all three suffered terrible online abuse because of their actions on the field.

I shouldn’t need to remind you that the impact of black players being targeted in the media has a long history and is felt far and wide. It sends a message that they are not welcome, that they are only a misplaced kick from being vilified, and it sends a message to online abusers that targeting players is fair game.

But it also sends a message to fans from black and ethnic minority communities that they do not belong or can be abused too. Those points need to be considered when writing headlines or selecting images as deadlines approach. The words and pictures travel a long way, hitting harder than you might realise.”

Long term readers will know I have long stressed that English Football has an issue when it comes to grown adults thinking in the confines of their football bubble they can say and do what they want.

I have long preached for laws to have zero tolerance to those who are guilty.

If you’re in a stadium or sat behind a laptop and something as trivial as sport makes you racially abuse another human being, you need help.

These cowards make enough excuses. They don’t need people blaming a newspaper.

There are zero photos that would motivate me to racially abuse a footballer.

If we are saying that England losing a football match could trigger based on who’s face they see, then we have serious issues in the world.

If we are at a point where Sports journalists are being asked to keep Saka off the back page then that’s not the solution, it’s not protecting anyone, it’s just putting your fingers ears, not wanting to listen to the problem.

Racists are morons who need to be held accountable. How can that happen when some are trying to justify their thought process?

A man in the crowd or woman on the computer doesn’t racially abuse a player because of how a match has been covered, that’s them as a person, their sick feelings not hidden, their mask slipping. They were going to racially abuse someone no matter what was in their paper.

It’s like that era where any teen violence was blamed on computer games. People know right from wrong.

In 2024, racial abuse is against the law. There is zero law that says but it’s acceptable if an article has made you feel a certain way.

If you choose to break that law you can’t stand in front of a judge and blame it on what match rating a player got, what commentary you hear or how diverse pundits are.

I though am an educated man. Football’s biggest victory in its fight against racism this week was three men becoming the first to be jailed in Spain for racism reported by La Liga.

The convicted read out a letter of apology once they realised the consequence of their actions.

No one in that court room blamed Vinicius JR being photographed. That wouldn’t help others and wouldn’t teach anything to that next generation of supporters.

UK black players take note:

“I’m not a victim of racism. I am a tormentor of racists. This first criminal conviction in the history of Spain is not for me. It’s for all black people,” pic.twitter.com/EaDEx8pMZt

— Gilles Read More