Victor says he will not wear the T-shirt

, 21 October, 16comments  |  Jump to most recent
VIctor Anichebe will refuse to wear a Kick It Out T-shirt today — even though the Everton striker suffered terrible abuse at the hands of racist fans.

The Nigeria hitman had to run a disgusting gauntlet of vile monkey chants and spitting from a vicious crowd before a Uefa Cup game in Ukraine.

But Anichebe, 24, will be the latest black player to snub the national T-shirt campaign when high-flying Everton face strugglers QPR at Loftus Road.

Anichebe sees this weekend's actions as a token gesture — and declared he did not want to be “a poster boy” for the anti-racism movement.

Without naming the John Terry case, he said: “Are we really kicking it out? There's a situation that's just happened.

“I believe in kicking racism out of ­everything, not just ­football — kick it out of society. 

“Situations have happened and I don't feel the ­outcome has been just. I won't wear the T-shirt, I don't think it's right to wear it. If other people want to wear it that's their right.

“I don't want to be some poster boy for Kick Racism Out of Football.

“You don't really see the T-shirts until something happens, then we decide to wear the T-shirts.

“If you wear it on a more consistent basis, fair enough. But if you just wear it when something happens, it's pretty pointless.

“I don't think the T-shirt matters, we're all fighting the same thing whether you wear a T-shirt or not.”

Anichebe has suffered first-hand the kind of racial abuse directed this week at England Under-21s player Danny Rose in Serbia.

In 2007, what should have been a big night for the striker — who came off the bench to score Everton's late winner at Metalist Kharkiv — holds bad memories instead.

Quotes or other material sourced from Daily Star



Reader Comments (16)

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Steve Smith
2 Posted 21/10/2012 at 15:21:41
“You don't really see the T-shirts until something happens, then we decide to wear the T-shirts."

I never realised a racist incident had happened at the same time every year for the last 20 odd years... amazing !!!!

Shane Corcoran
3 Posted 21/10/2012 at 15:31:53
Bang on. Like most negative things in society, nothing is done until a major event highlights it and then it's quickly forgotten.
Steve Cotton
4 Posted 21/10/2012 at 15:30:40
Half the people in the city of Liverpool still swear that Suarez is not racist after calling Evra a little black man ten times in eight minutes, so what chance have we got of turning this ship around when everyone defends their own players actions regardless of if they are wrong or right.
If guilty a racist should be banned from every UKground for life, fans, players or staff end of....
Dan Parker
5 Posted 21/10/2012 at 15:46:12
Completely agree with players not wearing the t-shirt if they feel it's nothing other than a token gesture. UEFA is a complete joke of an organization and wouldn't surprise me if they let Serbia off. Kick it out should mean literally that, kick offenders out of the game.
Jack Molloy
6 Posted 21/10/2012 at 17:59:07
Leaving aside the fact Victor isn't good enough to be in an Everton line-up to begin with, as evinced by today's typically purposeless performance, I absolutely agree with him. John Terry and Luiz Suarez should have been banned for the rest of the season. That would have sent a message of serious intent. The Premier League wants to pay lip service to an anti-racism campaign but they don't actually want to do anything about the racists in the game.
Phil Sammon
7 Posted 21/10/2012 at 17:55:58
The point has been well and truly missed. Every sane individual wants racism out of football. Kick It Out is an organisation that tries to raise awareness and encourage equality.

There's people saying that we aren't doing enough to combat racism. Well they may be right, but the Kick It Out organisation aren't the people to blame. It's FIFA handing out these poxy fines for racism and larger ones for unauthorised advertising. It's managers, fans and players supporting their own players despite proof of their racist actions.

I don't see how you can have a pop at the one organisation that is fighting your cause.

Steve Smith
8 Posted 21/10/2012 at 17:59:49
We are a long long way away from what you used to hear in football grounds during the seventies and eighties, the kick it out campaign is not solely responsible for this, but it's certainly helped raise awareness over a sustained period of time {not just when something happens as Vic seems to think}, I really don't understand how withdrawing your support for the campaign does any better than getting behind it.

The sad fact is that racism will still be going strong long after we're all dead and buried, you might be able to get people to say the right things, but it's a lot harder to change how they really think.

Bill Griffiths
9 Posted 21/10/2012 at 18:36:45
All the player who refuse to wear the tee-shirts are quite right. The FA are nothing but a bunch of two-faced hypocrites. They let Suarez and Terrry get away with being racist bastards then start crying when the Serbs behave in the same manner and want them banned from tournaments etc.

They had a chance to send out a clear message that this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated then give the perpetrators a slap on the wrist. Why should Fifa or Uefa do something about this when they themselves don't?!? They even let that Toon twat off after he racially abused Joseph Yobo.

I don't know why Moyes is encouraging the players to wear the shirts...
Phil Sammon
11 Posted 21/10/2012 at 21:50:14
Bill

Kick It Out is not the FA though. It is a separate organisation.

Drew O'Neall
12 Posted 21/10/2012 at 23:33:36
I'm given to understand the FA are the backers of the Kick It Out organisation to the tune of a paltry £400k per year (although I did glean this from TalkSport so stand to be corrected).

I think those who are boycotting the campaign are voicing their disapproval that on one hand the FA appear to be campaigning against racism, on the other they are letting the captain of England off with a pathetic 4 week ban, which is disgusting in the light of Suarez's 8 game ban.

As usual the FA has made itself to look like the shambolic committee of old boys and hobbyists that it is.

Patrick Murphy
13 Posted 21/10/2012 at 23:46:59
Go into any bar club or pub in any town or city in the country and you will find a high proportion of racist attitudes among the clientelle. It's not a class thing it's not a working class thing its a legacy of GB having had an empire. Like the idiotic Leeds fan from cheltenham who assaulted Kirkland it is born out of ignorance.

It is not only a British problem , just look at what's happening in Greece with the Golden Dawn movement.

Everyone who codemns racism has to do more than just wear a T-Shirt and tut tut at the behaviour of those who espouse racist attitudes, they have to be courageous and confront and report racism wherever it occurs and whenever it occurs.

History tells us that if we lack courage on these subjects then those who honestly believe they are right in holding this horrible world view will eventually triumph and through our lack of courage we will ourselves ultimately become the victims of prejudice and hate.


Andy Crooks
14 Posted 22/10/2012 at 00:05:44
Phil Sammon, I believe you are right.. Kick it out is a positive voice among the utterly appalling football governing bodies and I'm disappointed that every player isn't behind it.I see the point they are making and they have certainly got publicity but there needs to be a focal point and Kick it out is a start.
Steve Smith
15 Posted 22/10/2012 at 00:06:51
You make some interesting points Patrick and on a moral level, I agree with you.
I would say though, that courage doesn't pay the mortgage unfortunately, and there are still many organisations in my opinion who would do very little to support whistle blowers.

I agree that the FA do seem to have a hypocritical outlook on the way these things are dealt with, but then again, have you ever read any companies equal opportunities policy on an application form, and actually believed it?

The kick it out campaign {like most others} is tokenism to a degree, but better to have that than nothing at all I think, and I do think it has made a difference, even if it's only a small one, I cannot see how polarising support for or against the campaign does any good.

Mike Powell
16 Posted 22/10/2012 at 00:23:09
If they wanted to kick racism out off football, then Terry and Suarez should be banned for life.

Oh, hang on a min... sorry, they play for Chelsea and Liverpool... no chance off that then.

I just wonder what would happen if they played for Stoke or Wigan or (dare I say it) Everton? Just a thought...
Steve Green
17 Posted 22/10/2012 at 02:05:41
Steve Cotton @ #468, get real, read the FA hearing's report you chump, it was eight times in ten minutes, not ten times in eight minutes. Hardly racist...........
I fuckin hate him!
Ernie Baywood
18 Posted 22/10/2012 at 06:14:13
Well Mike, a Newcastle player quite famously abused a black player and got off.

Lescott hasn't worn a T-shirt since.

It's not about criticizing or not supporting the KIO campaign. It's about not letting the FA use the organization to whitewash their lack of action.

Half a mil and a let the players wear a few T-Shirts... is that doing enough? They do have substantially more powerful options than that.


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