Cod Almighty | Diary

Being part of the appalled but silent majority is not always enough

6 August 2024

Newbegin Diary writes: You can't keep politics out of sport, and sometimes you shouldn't even try. The same people who spread lies from the safety of a Cyprus sun-lounger, or cast insinuations on social media instead of getting their questions answered in Parliament, will not be shy about following in the footsteps of the National Front and the English Defence League, who saw football matches as recruitment grounds. We must not let them operate unchallenged.

Today there are people wondering, because of their faith or the colour of their skin, whether it is safe for them in their mosque or their town centre. On Saturday, they will be wondering whether they can go to the football. The towns of Grimsby and Cleethorpes are too small to leave any member of our community behind: if the Mariners are to enjoy any measure of sustainable success we need everyone to feel they can share in it.

In one of his best Guardian articles yet, yesterday Jason Stockwood explored how our understanding of masculinity and leadership has evolved, and how far it still needs to go. He focused on the prism of women in football, but the same thoughts apply to race and to religion. Everyone must feel that they can belong and can contribute. If we can afford to jettison anyone, it is only those who think that the game belongs solely to white men. 

A football match is a melting pot of emotions. That will never change, but if the emotions which a loud minority give vent to are poisonous, they need to be confronted, whether it is shouting them down or reporting them. A safe space for all means there can be no safe space for racists.