When the Whites Go Marching In - Racism and Resistance in English Football
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RACISM AND RESISTANCE IN
ENGLISH FOOTBALL
STEVE GREENFIELD*
Guy OSBORN**
Interesting to see George Best sympathising in TV interviews
about the racist abuse Cantona received. On January 12 during
an Evening with George Best and Rodney Marsh at Croydon's
Fairfield Halls, Best was asked about the Andy Cole sale. His
reply? 7 million is a lot to pay for a nigger.I
I. INTRODUCTION
The phenomenon of racism can be seen in two broad areas within the
context of Association Football.2 Firstly, racism may be seen in terms of
exclusion from (or limited opportunity in) the game for certain ethnic
t When the Whites go Marching In is a version of the hymn When the Saints go
Marching In and has been sung by football fans whilst attending away matches in other
countries. The hymn is also adapted by individual clubs in the U.K. by substituting the name
of the team for Saints. In this context the reference is to English supporters indicating their
disapproval of black players. See JOHN WiLLAMS ET. AL., HOOLIGANS ABROAD 149 (2d ed.
1989).
* Co-director, Centre for the Study of Law, Society and Popular Culture, University of
Westminster. Mr. Greenfield is a graduate from the Universities of Middlesex and London,
and has researched and written widely on issues relating to sport, music, and film.
** Co-director, Centre for the Study of Law, Society and Popular Culture, University of
Westminster. Mr. Osborn is a graduate of Leeds University and Leicester University, and has
written widely on a number of areas within the emerging field of law and popular culture.
1. Martin Thorpe, Seeing Red When the Air Turns Blue, Ttm GUARDIAN, Jan. 28, 1995, at
19. George Best is generally acknowledged as one of the finest of the United Kingdom's (he
was born in Northern Ireland) post war footballers, although he never played in the finals of
any major International tournament due to the failure of Northern Ireland to ever qualify.
His crowning moment was perhaps scoring in the 1968 European Cup Final when his club side
Manchester United beat the Portuguese side Benfica 4-1, becoming in the process the first
English side to win the trophy. Because of his good looks and pop star image, Best was often
described as the fifth Beatle. See TOM TYRRELL & DAVID MEEK, MANCHSTER UNrrED:
THE OFFICIAL HISTORY (1992), GEORGE BEsT wrTH Ross BENSON, THE GOOD, THE BAD
AND THE BUBBLY (1991). Andy Cole is a black footballer who was transferred from Newcas-
tle United to Manchester United in January 1995 for a then British record transfer fee.
2. Association Football is the historically correct term for what is termed in some cultures
soccer. The popular term soccer is in fact bastardised from association football See
GIVING THE GAME AWAY: FOOTBALL, POLITICS AND CULTURE ON FrFE CoNTINENrs (Ste-
phen Wagg ed., 1995)[hereinafter Wagg]. In this article, the term football will be used rather
than soccer.](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/mqslr6&div=20&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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When the Whites Go Marching In - Racism and Resistance in English Football
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