Why football’s ability to make a difference goes way beyond symbolism

A week ago, a noisy proportion of the 2000 Millwall fans attending a home game for the first time this season, loudly booed players of their own team and visitors ­Derby County, when they took the knee, the gesture adopted across football, to ­demonstrate solidarity with black players and victims of racial injustice.

It was a pity that it was Millwall, a club with a long and ugly history of racism, and so easy to condemn. Millwall have tried hard to reshape their image and ­reputation and this was a setback. I ­vividly remember ­sitting down with my former Channel 4 colleague ­Heather ­Rabbatts, who left the TV station to ­become chairman of ­Millwall, to ­discuss her strategy for ­changing the club’s ­unpleasant reputation. The fact that the club had appointed a woman of colour to rebuild their ­relationship with a now diverse community spoke volumes about Millwall’s desire to root out the remnants of racism that have clung to the club .

To this day Millwall carry the lion ­rampant on their club badge, a connection back to the days when they were founded by Scottish dock workers, but much has changed in industry and in the surrounding community since. The club’s recalcitrant white working-class defensiveness has often sat uneasily with the socially ­diverse London that surrounds its ground. It has also attracted supporters, proud of their reputation for ‘hardness’ and there is still a unrepentant ­racist element within the support.

The jeering unlocked a torrent of opinion on social media. Significant numbers of fans felt able to speak out about the pre-match rituals, some claiming they had overstayed their welcome, others fulminating about Black Lives Matter being a Marxist conspiracy, and others venting theories that were variations on the old pub bore who claims that any change is “political correctness gone mad.”

Set against that were fans who felt that professional football had a responsibility to tackle racism in “the workplace” and to set a positive attitude about social ­justice to the wider society.

The polling organisation You Gov took the temperature among fans in England. The results were very divided, 49% of those polled approved of the demonstration of racial solidarity but a sizable 41% disapproved. You Gov then split the data along class divides, where there was a measurable difference – middle class fans approved at a rate of 56% whilst only 35% disapproved. These figures changed significantly for working class ­respondents. Only 39% of working-class fans approved and 39% disapproved.

Leaving aside how the pollsters ­defined class difference there was a clear ­divide which was more markedly ­obvious ­geographically, 59% of those based in London approved of the symbolism of taking the knee, and yet only 42% in the Midlands approved.

There are so many factors that could explain these differences, but it appears that the Millwall’s fans’ protest is out of step with majority opinion in London . That was borne out in their next game when a Queens Park Rangers player, the Moroccan born Illias Chair led his teammates in a theatrical celebration, taking the knee and giving black power salutes to the Millwall fans.

By midweek, the Millwall controversy was supremely upstaged during a Champions League clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir, when both sets of players walked off the field. The game descended into chaos after allegations of racism by a fourth official, the Romanian Sebastian Coltescu. The match was suspended midway through the first half following the incident involving the Cameroonian-born Pierre Webo, Basaksehir’s assistant manager. Players claim they heard Webo being singled out by a potentially racist name and after consultation between senior players they left the pitch. The incident is still being ­adjudicated upon and seems to hinge on the Romanian word “negru”. Coltecsu has announced that he may simply quit football than accept a 10-week ban.

It is an incident with many anomalies but what cannot be denied is that football has reached a tipping point. It is highly unusual, even unique for both teams to leave the pitch in solidarity. When the game was replayed both sets of players warmed up in tops emblazoned with the slogan “No To Racism”.

In Scotland, fans are allowed in, socially distanced and in small numbers only in those regions in level one, for example at Victoria Park in Dingwall, the home of Ross County and at Elgin City’s Borough Briggs. There has been nothing at any level one grounds to suggest that the protests have reached Scotland.

Ironically, Ross County did feature in a social justice dispute when their veteran midfielder Michael Gardyne was accused of aiming homophobic and racial slurs ­towards Rangers duo Connor Goldson and Alfredo Morelos. It is an accusation Gardyne fulsomely denies. He has admitted to swearing in the heat of the game but adamantly denies it tipped to either racism of homophobia. The matter is now with the SFA’s compliance officer.

Th terrain of top-league football is riddled with pitfalls as it seeks to deal with social justice. Last week, most clubs endorsed Stonewall Scotland’s Rainbow Laces campaign which aims to make sporting environments more inclusive for LGBT fans and players, by raising awareness of anti-LGBT abuse. Many players participate by threading their boots with rainbow laces.

One of the burdens that football bares is that numerous social challenges are heaped on it in part because the game ­occupies an important role within our communities and professional players, whether they are well paid or not are ­perceived as role models.

I am generally supportive of Scotland’s clubs participating in global campaigns like Black Lives Matter, but I also feel that they are at their most credible and valued when they act locally. Motherwell FC have been very visible supporters of the Lost Boys issue, the prevalence of youth suicide in North Lanarkshire. The campaign’s logo is printed on the club’s shirt, as are an increasing number of smaller Scottish charities across several clubs.

This week, St Johnstone were voted The Best Professional Club in the Community and their support for mental health initiatives was singled out. Meanwhile Banff’s Deveronvale FC won the award for best community club for activities that stretch from kids’ football teams to clothes banks for families in need. Ross County and the University of the Highlands and Islands have signed a three-year contract to work on educational opportunities for students, staff and the community.

St Mirren’s community outreach ranges widely across Renfrewshire but there is a focus on Ferguslie Park, an area of severe deprivation which borders the club’s ground. The formidable Big Hearts initiatives, a charitable strand within Heart of Midlothian’s supporters trust, is planning a week of action running up to Christmas, including home delivery of food and pre-cooked festive meals.

Although there is undeniable value in acts of symbolism and solidarity on the park, there is ample evidence of deeper participative value in community politics too. When football fans tackle injustices in their own backyard, local clubs can make a difference well beyond ­symbolism.