The FA cannot stop themselves from charging players with racial abuse. Like a neutron bomb—the theoretical weapon which would devastate populations whilst leaving buildings intact—the causal ethical chain of charges which started with John Terry shouting some sort of abuse at Anton Ferdinand keeps running its course, leaving the actual root causes of racism (and, more importantly, the established football culture) untouched.
And so to avoid any appearances of favouritism, the FA has pushed on with charges against Rio Ferdinand for favourably responding to a Tweet which called Ashley Cole “choc-ice.”
This is all optics and no substance; had the FA failed to act in this case, or, more importantly, had it restricted actions to a reasonable letter and warning to Mr. Ferdinand, the FA would be open to charges of hypocrisy from either interested parties in the press or the partisan idiots who oil the Premier League machine, upset that Terry should be charged after his civil trial but not Ferdinand for seemingly endorsing a racially insensitive Tweet from literally ‘some guy.’
The FA is stuck in an inextricable moral logic of its own creation. Watch your Twitter feed: this may not be over.
“leaving the actual root causes of racism (and, more importantly, the established football culture) untouched”
noooooooooooooooooooo :( not the “stupid FA won’t deal with the roots of racism” theme again.
that is not the job of the FA, not the job of the law…. etc.
Okay, I will take the advice and just stop reading the Score’s the Footy Blog. Sorry to bother you.
At least Mark McCammon won his racial discrimination case against Gillingham FC earlier (http://www.teamtalk.com/league-two/7950539/Former-Gills-striker-wins-tribunal).
Not holding my breath on the FA using that case as a platform for some bold, new in-depth anti-racism initiative though.
Bit too much like using your importance as a cultural institution to affect social change. Crazy thinking that – using civil organizations to address civil issues, totally nutty…
If you believe The Guardian newspaper, the FA have charged John Terry with using abusive language, not racism !
It was weirdly phrased…I think it was something like “abusive language that included reference to person’s skin colour”, so you’re right, not actual racist abuse, more like verbal abuse that had racist words in it.