Opinion
Luis Suarez: Racism in Soccer
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The Skanner Newspaper, established
A
few hours ago, today Sat-
urday February 11, 2012, I
turned on ESPN2 to watch
a much-anticipated return to a leg-
endary, familiar clash; a gritty
soccer rivalry: the colorful, pas-
sionate, winning institutional
clubs of Manchester United and
Liverpool playing in the UK Foot-
ball Association league.
But, as the very polite, opening
acts of friendliness and sportsman-
ship
were
unfolding,
the
Uruguyan-born ill-mannered Liv-
erpool striker Luis Suarez, 24,
shocked all reasonable people as
he refused to shake the hands of
Black Frenchman and captain of
Manchester United, Patrice Evra.
It immediately turned into the
Suarez show of silliness on global
tv channels.
For those who have forgotten,
late in 2011, Suarez was found
guilty of repeatedly using a racist,
derogatory insult against Blacks
(especially in Europe) which he
(Suarez) directed at Evra.
Despite several denials he made,
he admitted to the Football Asso-
ciation that he made the hostile
comments during a match between
Liverpool and Manchester United
in October, 2011.
“I admitted to the commission
that I said a word in Spanish once,
and only once. I never, ever used
this word in a derogatory way and
if it offends anyone then I want to
apologise for that.”
He promised not to use the
words again: “I told the panel
members that I will not use it
again on a football pitch in Eng-
land.”
First, Suarez’s latest, un-sports-
man refusal to shake a
competitor’s hand at the profes-
sional, international football
ball reputation. “Suarez is a dis-
grace to Liverpool Football Club.
He should not be allowed to play
for Liverpool again” - said Sir
Alex Ferguson (Manchester Unit-
ed manager) in his reaction to the
refusal to shake hands.
Fourth, Suarez’s misconduct
will continue to raise the tempera-
ture of the usually kinetic and
His latest action is another slap, a dirty
slap on the face of the British/UK
football reputation
league on Saturday February 11,
2012, shows his rank pettiness and
childishness. Anyway, his miscon-
duct may be worse, because
children are more collaborative
and generally forget disagree-
ments to continue playing with
each other. But no; not the migrant
Suarez.
Second, I think his mean spirit
reflects Mr. Suarez’s foolish lack
of respect for the teeming soccer
fans in Britain, the American own-
ers of the Liverpool club he plays
for and the sports universe.
Third, I believe that his latest
action is another slap, a dirty slap
on the face of the British/UK foot-
giddy British soccer fans (fanat-
ics) and race relation across many
sports groups in the world.
Fifth, I think it will be proper
and responsible to hand this
uncouth fellow and race-baiter
Suarez a hefty fine and a long, sig-
nal suspension from Liverpool and
the UK league. Suarez and irre-
sponsible soccer players like him
are not bigger than the UK league
or any league, for that matter.
Of course, I agree with Sir Fer-
guson that Suarez is a disgrace;
and I’ll just add: Suarez has made
himself a very petty, small-minded
and polarizing footnote to soccer
and its billion fans. Mr. Suarez
should, therefore, face conse-
quences for his mean-spirited,
crass and derogatory acts of
impetuosity.
Chido Nwangwu is founder and
publisher of USAfrica multimedia
networks
What do you think?
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Black Americans and Mitt Romney
F
ormer Massachusetts Gover-
nor Mitt Romney’s recent
statement, “I’m not con-
cerned about the very poor….We
have a safety net…. If it needs
repair, I’ll fix it” has caused once
again considerable debate about
poverty in America. But for mil-
lions of impoverished Black
Americans the focus should be on
encouraging education, self-
empowerment and economic
development as a means of getting
out of poverty rather than waiting
on some non-caring presidential
candidate to patch a gaping hole in
the so-called poverty-prevention
safety net.
In a democracy all citizens
should have the right to run for
President. Of course qualifica-
tions and experience are factors
that voters should weigh when
making a decision about who to
vote for and to support. For over
45 million Black Americans, the
2012 elections are extremely
important. We cannot afford to sit
on the sidelines and to take the
November 2012 elections for
granted. I keep emphasizing that
it is counterproductive for Black
people in the United States to be
cynical or non-involved in the
national political debate concern-
ing the issues that affect the
quality of life in the Black com-
munity across the nation.
Mitt Romney’s confession did
more than expose his seemingly
insensitivity toward the poor. It
revealed Romney’s comfort with a
certain percentage of the popula-
tion that will according to his logic
always remain in poverty in need
of a safety net. Romney rhetori-
Page 4 The Portland Skanner February 15, 2012
E DUCATION
S ERVICES
Benjamin F.
Chavis Jr.
cally joined the likes of Fox News
commentator Bill O’Rielly who
condescendingly reminded a
national television audience that in
the Bible it says, “The poor will
always be with us.”
African
reads like this: Gingrich, Santo-
rum, and Paul, all have asked for
and gotten endorsements and sup-
port from African-Americans.
There is no record or evidence that
the supposed more moderate
Romney has asked for or gotten
any black support or even taken a
photo-op with some dutiful blacks.
The question that will loom even
larger as Romney closes in on the
GOP nomination is. Where are
Romney’s blacks?”
Romney’s comments on poverty,
therefore, were not a mere slip of a
Please do not underestimate the
power and the importance of every
vote this year.
Americans do not always have to
be poor! Again, what Romney
said or what O’Rielly said should
not come as a shock. Those state-
ments just remind us that if we do
not get ourselves up out of pover-
ty, there will be no others that we
should depend on to change the
situation of poverty that too many
continue to face in our communi-
ties.
Noted scholar and author Earl
Ofari Hutchinson raised an appro-
priate question with respect to the
absence of Black Americans who
have some noticeable role in the
Romney presidential campaign
staff or support. Hutchinson
observed, “The scorecard then
politicians tongue during the heat
of a tense campaign. He is not in
touch with the reality that most
Americans have to endure in
2012. And in particular, Romney
is so far out of the loop of reality
when it comes to Black Ameri-
cans’ state of existence, that it is
cause for serious concern. The
fact is for Black children and
youth the poverty rate is nearly
40% as a direct of the systematic
underdevelopment of the African
American community during the
last 50 years. Too many African
Americans live in poverty today at
a rate greater than one out of every
four persons. Of course our eco-
nomic and social predicament is
not the result of statements by Mitt
Romney. The point here is, how-
ever, that for the vast majority of
Black people in America and
throughout the African world, the
candidacy of Romney for Presi-
dent raises serious implications
about his stated sense of inclusion
and of ‘caring’ and empathy for
poor people in general and for
poor Black people specifically.
Regardless of who emerges as
the Republican nominee, Black
Americans have to take a proac-
tive responsibility to ensure the
largest voter turnout in American
history come this November. To
all of the “playa haters” some of
whom are White and Black who
are trying to seduce Black people
into the self-destructive lethargy
of not voting, copping out, and
non-civic engagement: “We will
not be put asleep. We will remain
wide awake. We are going to
mobilize voter participation in
record numbers in the face of voter
repression in more than 30 states
across the nation.”
Please do not underestimate the
power and the importance of every
vote this year. We have to join
with others who share our interests
for a better future for ourselves
and for all people. The worst form
of oppression is self-destruction
and the fear of liberation. Mitt
Romney has made clear where he
stands. Where do you stand?
How will you vote?
Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. is
President of the Hip-Hop Summit
Action Network and Education
Online Services Corporation and
can be reached at www.HSAN.org