.png)
Firstly, thank God (other deities are available) for Paul Caddis and his measured, mature but utterly scathing and personally shredded reaction on Saturday, after utter disgrace was brought, and an unwanted national spotlight was shone, upon Hereford FC by a racist moron. The manager further enhanced his status as a thoroughly decent human being in articulating the thoughts of everyone connected to the club immediately after the abandonment of the game. What a depressing weekend.
Thoroughly decent human beings are what we need to cling onto right now as a collective of board, manager, staff and supporters, as a club - a united, progressive and inclusive club.
Racists, bigots, homophobes, misogynists – don’t come to Edgar Street on Saturday – you’re not wanted. At all. I’d like to think you’re not welcome anywhere civilised. Do something else with your time like attempting a do-it-yourself brain transplant. Go somewhere far away from civilised society and shout your hatred at one another for 90 minutes instead. When you’re empty of all of that poison, try replacing it with love and compassion. You’ll feel so much better.
As Paul Caddis has said, we’re all represented by that person on Saturday, or those people, whether we like it or not. I felt thoroughly dirty by association afterwards and not proud of being a supporter of the club. After 40+ years that was an uncomfortable feeling.
In the eyes of many, we’re now a racist club, and that’s a difficult label to shake off. It’s also a label that will make players reluctant to sign for the club in the future, unless the club can very quickly reverse that narrative with a bombardment of positive messages and actions.
A seemingly inevitable fine will also eat into the budget the club has to put into putting out sides that can win football matches. If you generously contributed to the squad builder, your hard-earned money will essentially now go towards paying for the actions of racists.
There have been a number of views expressed on what should happen regarding this replay. For what it’s worth, I’d like to see it properly and competitively contested, and if Sporting Khalsa win that would be fitting. If Hereford win it might be an appropriate gesture for the club to donate the prize money to Ravan Constable. I hope the Sporting goalie is able to play in this, and I hope he plays an absolute blinder.
To withdraw from the competition would unfairly penalise the players for the actions of an imbecile, or imbeciles.
Let’s not forget that what you pay to see each time you attend a Hereford FC game is eleven people of a variety of ethnicities pulling together for a common cause. That’s what you’re watching, that’s what you’re supporting. If that was reflected more universally in the wider world society would be all the better for it. You don’t have to be ‘woke’ to get that – it’s blindingly obvious.
Something good has to come out of this. The club has to become a leading light in the national game now for its commitment to inclusivity, not just doing what it’s mandated to do in terms of kicking out racism.
Supporters need to do their bit by consistently reporting incidents of race hatred so that it dawns on the knuckle-draggers responsible that their time is up, that they will be banned for life and that the chances of them getting arrested have gone up massively.
I’m making it all sound very easy and I’m in danger of sounding as naive as John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ was, I know, but this should be the lowest point we reach with this. If it happens again I for one am done with it. The thought of sharing anything with racists is utterly unconscionable and, well, it’s just something you’d never do is it? You just wouldn’t.
If some of that positive action can happen it will be a silver lining to what currently feels like a very dark cloud hanging over the club.
Let’s get this game played and move on together, united in inclusivity. If that doesn’t appeal to you because you're a racist please stay away, preferably many miles away - occasions that bring lots of people together to enjoy something don't suit you - I'm not really sure what does suit you, other than therapy.
We won't be united until the racists are flushed out and persuaded to do something else on a Saturday afternoon. Hereford FC isn't a place for them. Football isn't a place for them. Nowhere is a place for them.
As for the actual footballing element of this football match, if indeed it goes ahead, it seems an irrelevance. I can’t think of anything to say about it.