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.