Has the England defender taken his support of Suarez a step too far?
A Liverpool and England defender attends a media obligation to promote kids stickers, sounds harmless enough doesn’t it? Well I’ve no doubt that Glen Johnson’s interview in the mail today will prove to be one of the most controversial of the season as the former West Ham Chelsea and Portsmouth man, has decided to give his take on the whole Luis Suarez -Patrice Evra affair- just when it seemed it was finally dying down.
Johnson starts by addressing Suarez’s failure to shake Evra’s hand at Old Trafford, an event that caused the Uruguayan to apologise with the following statement:
“I have spoken with the manager since the game at Old Trafford and I realise I got things wrong.
“I’ve not only let him down, but also the Club and what it stands for and I’m sorry. I made a mistake and I regret what happened.
“I should have shaken Patrice Evra’s hand before the game and I want to apologise for my actions.
“I would like to put this whole issue behind me and concentrate on playing football.”
Yet for some reason Johnson feels Suarez was actually the victim of some form of ruse by Evra, despite his team-mates apology, the Mail notes: ‘Evra was clever at Old Trafford,’ said Johnson, extending his hand directly towards me. ‘Because – I’m not being funny – but if I wanted to shake your hand I would stick it right out in front of me like that. But if my hand is down here, almost by my side, then it’s because I really don’t want to shake your hand.”
‘Luis didn’t shake his hand because Evra’s hand was down there. What else is Luis supposed to do? Would you go to shake someone’s hand if their hand is way down there by their side? Course not. But then, because Luis didn’t do it, Evra has pulled him back by his arm as he walked on, as if to say to everybody: “Look, I wanted to shake his hand and he didn’t…”
‘He’s following Luis with his eyes as if to say: “Right he’s gone, he’s gone (past me) so I’ll pull him back now…” Evra probably stayed up all night thinking about how to do that. The whole thing was ridiculous.’
This is arguably the strangest statement regarding the whole affair, the idea that Evra ‘stayed up all night thinking how to do that’ before the biggest game of the season. Its a genuinely bizarre claim to make, unless of course Johnson was merely being a tad facetious and maybe using a bit of a metaphor, if he is then that seems a rather risky time to do it as surely he realised this interview is going to cause fireworks.
I’ve no doubt Johnson if asked would clam he didn’t mean Evra literally stayed up throughout the night thinking about the handshake, but these sort of things can come back to haunt you, look at how Liverpool fans jumped on the ‘he said it ten times’ statement Evra made to French television.
The interview then turns to the subject of Paul McGrath:
Former United defender Paul McGrath took to Twitter on seeing Johnson join his team-mates in wearing T-shirts in support of Suarez as they warmed up before a game at Wigan.
‘If I was in Glen Johnson’s position, I would have thrown the shirt to the floor,’ said McGrath.
‘It’s only an issue because I am the only black lad in the club,’ he shrugged. ‘If it’s bad that the other lads supported Luis then that should be seen as just as bad as me supporting him. But people are on to me because I am black.
‘The McGrath thing … that’s actually racist. Saying what he said is racist. He is only saying that to me because I was the only black lad wearing the T-shirt. He’s targeting me because of my colour.
Believe it or not I do have a little bit of sympathy with Johnson on the whole ‘being singled out as the only black man’ issue as i thought at the time, the entire team and manager behaved poorly and should be judged collectively, Johnson being black is irrelevant, however McGrath was addressing the issue from a black man’s point of view so naturally saw it through Johnson’s eyes.
Johnson adds: I haven’t spoken to Paul McGrath about it. I don’t care what he thinks, really. I don’t know anything about him. But for someone to say that, it sums them up. It’s their problem.
This merely seems like a small dig at McGrath and begs the question if Johnson doesn’t care what he thinks why even address what he said?
On the t-shirt issue Johnson continues:
‘The evidence was Luis’s word against Evra’s,’ argued Johnson. ‘I’m not saying Evra is lying but it’s his word against Luis’s, isn’t it? So how did it all turn out to be so strong in Evra’s favour? I work with the lad every day. There is no way he said that.
‘With the media these days and the way it was going to be blown up, maybe the T-shirts thing wasn’t the right thing to do. How should I say this? We wore them to show our support for Luis. It wasn’t to send a message to everyone else. It was just for him.
‘It seemed to come across that we were making a point. We weren’t. It was the club’s idea. But obviously we all agreed. We didn’t really think about how people would react.’
Liverpool were recently criticised for their handling of the Suarez-Evra affair by a group of black leaders, the Independent reported:
“Gloria Hyatt, who leads the group, said: “Liverpool FC has presided over the worst incident of racism in football seen in recent years. Their misguided handling of the … saga has let down all of those in the city who work hard to challenge racism and to make Liverpool a better place to live for everyone.”
Lee Jasper, the activist who was equality adviser to the Ken Livingstone during his time as Mayor of London, said: “The club, including the owners, the players and the manager need to realise the enormous damage caused by their reluctance and obdurate behaviour. Kenny Dalglish used to manage Celtic. He ought to know the importance of stamping out bigotry. The club failed the city, the nation as a whole, and Britain’s black communities. Their abysmal lack of leadership on these issues has given a green light to racism. They must make urgent reparations … and a clear and unequivocal apology.”
The club has maintained a ‘Suarez is innocent’ stance both before and after the FA’s decision, not just with the t-shirt affair but with club statements and a personal statement from Luis Suarez which denied any wrongdoing, and which Kenny Daglish labelled as ‘brilliant.’
Johnson also tackles the actual incident between Evra and Suarez where during a heated argument the Liverpool striker called United’s skipper ‘negro.’:
‘I can’t understand how people don’t get that in his culture the word “negro” or “negrito” is genuinely normal. Just because he’s out of his country he is not going to stop using his mother tongue. If we went to another country, we would use our slang, wouldn’t we? I can’t see why somebody can get in trouble for using his culture in another country.”
I’m the same colour as Johnson and understand fully that different people have differing opinions on what they’re prepared to be called, some of my black friends for example will call each other the N-word yet they will never call it me as regardless of whether they’re black or not I find it offensive and don’t allow black people to call me something I wouldn’t allow my white friends to.
If a South American started at my work and began calling me ‘Negro’ I’d simply point out that I didn’t like it and ask him to call me by my name, but that’s my personal choice, if Johnson doesn’t mind being called that, just like some of my friends don’t then that’s fair enough. The point is Evra did take offence and was called it during an argument, also Evra isn’t a friend or team-mate of Luis Suarez so it isn’t the same as Suarez calling Johnson by that name at all.
The idea of using your culture in another country being acceptable is extremely naive, after all can gay men openly kiss in some Arab countries? No. Is that wrong? Yes. Should they be allowed? Of course they should. So should they do it when they visit? Not unless they’re willing to face the consequences. You simply cannot expect to use words, or act in a certain way in different countries and for that to be accepted. It’s often a shame but those are the hard facts.
Why Johnson has chosen to re-ignite the whole Suarez affair is a bit of a mystery, although he may have felt more anger over the issue due to being singled out as the only black Liverpool first team player- which the Mail also brings up during the article.
Johnson has received a lot of criticism from some members of the black community and this could be his way of dealing with it. I sympathise with Johnson in as much he doesn’t deserve special treatment for being the only non-white in the Anfield dressing room and some of the stick he’s received especially from Marcel Garvey who labelled him an ‘Uncle Tom’ was a disgrace. Johnson doesn’t deserve that sort of treatment, but he’s been terribly misguided in contradicting the club’s recent stance on the Suarez handshake affair and even more misguided in reopening old wounds.
Towards the end of the interview Johnson notes: ‘People are now singing, week in week out, that Liverpool are a racist club,’ he sighed. ‘Well, no. We are not. We have had one incident concerning racism that we believe isn’t true. So how can people think like that? “
I’m guessing that Johnson doesn’t consider the Tom Adeyemi or the monkey-gesture man to be racists incidents concerning the club- yet for many they are linked to Liverpool’s handling of the Evra affair.
The FA could well look at this interview and decide that Johnson has needlessly brought up a case that was pretty much closed and stirred up trouble where there was already plenty to go round, and he could face some form of reprimand. The thing with the FA is you simply never know what they’re going to do, I wouldn’t be surprised if they banned him, nor would I if they didn’t even acknowledge his interview such is the nature of their inconsistency.
The saddest part of this whole interview is that now more tribalism and United v Liverpool fan reactions will come to the forefront, many Liverpool fans and sites have been quick to praise Johnson while sites like this one feel it was a massive mistake.
Let the arguments begin….again.
Johnson’s interview: Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2111767/Glen-Johnson-Patrice-Evra-clear-didnt-want-shake-Luis-Suarezs-hand.html#ixzz1oTvxeyB5
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Can I just point out two things.. Firstly you say ‘The thing with the FA is you simply never know what they’re going to do, I wouldn’t be surprised if they banned him, nor would I if they didn’t even acknowledge his interview such is the nature of their inconsistency.’
Is this the same F.A. whom Suarez was found guilty by and whom Utd fans throw so much weight behind while arguing the merits of both players case ?? I assume they’re only inconsistent when they don’t rule in your favour or act as Man Utd fans see fit.
They surely haven’t been ‘inconsistent’ in their handling of this whole affair have they.. I mean Evra was repremanded for his racist and inflamitory remarks to Suarez about his country of origin and having sexual relations with his sister wasn’t he ??
Surely any orginisation guilty of such ‘incosistencies’ can not be trusted to deliver a fair and true verdict. Fact is in a court of law it would have been thrown out and you know this to be true, yet United fans take the F.A.s decision as gospel.. Now theres a first.
Speaking of gospels, religions and beliefs, I find it amazing that you can in a few sentances dismiss the beliefs of an entire religon.’Should gays be allowed openly kiss in Arab countries, of course they should’ .. says who .. You !!
Of course your not being at all intollerant to millions of peoples religous beliefs by stating that they are all wrong and only your view of the world is the right one.. but then again I’m not surprised to hear the likes of this from such a myopic bunch of supporters.
And so as you say it begins again..
The black man has called the other black man a liar , and there will be much twising of knickers.. careful not to say anything racist now gentlemen.. Har har..
Strange remarks from Johnson just watched the recording of that game Johnson was down the line shaking the opponents hands he wasn’t even looking at Suarez when the incident happened – time to move on enough of this racial bull I am a black South African who loves English football we grew up being racially abused daily but thank GOD we forgave and are moving on with our lives!
TOO TRUE CAN I JUST SAY JOHNSON SHOULD BE HAPPY MCGRATH EVEN KNOWS WHO HE IS ..UH AH PAUL MCGRATH
I’m sick and tired of hearing liverpoo fans arguments about this case, shut the f@k up and move on. You and your club acted like the arrogant disgrace we all knew you were. It’s quite simple really. Saurez called Evra something in an argument that racially offended Evra so Evra reported him, yes? Ok, the FA investigated it, found Saurez guilty and banned him. That should be the story in it’s entirity right? What made it a mind boggling issue was the following… Kenny Dalglish, the Liverpool players and the Liverpool fans constant bleating because the “how dare anyone question let alone blame us” brigade can’t be anything other than victims can they? WTF has it really got to do with Liverpool fans? He admitted he said it the day it happened. Move on self pity victims.
“They surely haven’t been ‘inconsistent’ in their handling of this whole affair have they.. I mean Evra was repremanded for his racist and inflamitory remarks to Suarez about his country of origin and having sexual relations with his sister wasn’t he ??”
I assume you’re referring to the sudaca accusation that came form Kuyt which Evra denied and suarez said he didn’t hear and as for referring to sexual relations to his sister… Suarez accepted that Evra meant the colloquial “fucking hell” and not the literal version.
Why oh why have so many LFC fans not bothered reading the report?
I agree with Glen Johnson 100%, I watched the video over and over just to see what really happen and what jumped out at me was not only did Evra keep his hands down but the fact that Ferdinand didn’t shake Suarez hand. Why couldn’t that be taken out of context? I am of the same skin colour as Evra and Glen who lives in the eastern hemisphere where The Caribbean, Central and South Americans are considered blacks and or minority. I looked at the situation and after long hard thinking, what I got from this whole “lets end racism” madness was a real slap in the faces of all “blacks”(Don’t believe in colour, there is only one race, the human race)and minorities in that this incident where a guilty verdict and witch hunt comes without any real evidence of racism. Firstly, this is not the first, second, or third time even that Evra has accussed someone else of being racist, secondly the incident came right on the heels of The FA going at FIFA(VERY SAD HOW TWO TITANS IN FOOTBALL ARE SO PATHETIC, AND MISGUIDED)about the how they(FIFA) handles racism and here comes the Suarez/Evra & is it just me or have we forgotten the Ferdinand/Terry incidence? Two similar incidence with night and day outcomes. So who are the victims, Evra, Suarez, Ferdinand, Terry or all the about just got thrown into the FA vs FIFA nitpicking childish tam trump? Suarez is as it seems “painted” white(a joke) and got an eight match ban plus a maintain of humiliation, John Terry(English player and former captain) on the other hand, accused of the very same crime is yet to be punished. It is in Suarez’s culture (Where as it isn’t the case for Terry) for the words negro and negrito to be used. So I guess the message being sent here is that one should leave their culture behind when coming to England? Now who is the up-presser, aggressor and or racist? The whole thing is a joke and people need to stop feeding into this nonsense. Tell The FA and FIFA to get their business in order and stop playing politics with our favourate sport. It’s funny how money changes situations.
“Firstly, this is not the first, second, or third time even that Evra has accussed someone else of being racist”
yes it is the first time. why do some LFC fans keep peddling lies? I can only assume you’re referring to the Finnan incident, where the accusation was levelled by a lip reading fan and Evra said he didn’t hear anything, and the Chelsea incident where the accusation was made by Phelan with Evra, again, saying he didn’t hear anything racist.
Here’s a link from a liverpool website to educate yourself http://www.liverpool-kop.com/2011/12/debunking-lfc-myths-no-11-patrice-evra.html
“is it just me or have we forgotten the Ferdinand/Terry incidence? Two similar incidence with night and day outcomes…John Terry(English player and former captain) on the other hand, accused of the very same crime is yet to be punished.”
Again you show your utter ignorance. Terrys case is in the courts after a member of the public made a complaint to the police so the FA can’t act yet as the courts have jurispudence. once the court case has finished then the FA can act.
If you watch the video, Evra’s hand is clearly lower for Suarez than any other player. Not to say Suarez wasn’t 100% innocent but what Evra did was a bit strange. Suarez should have grabbed it no matter where Evra put his hand, BUT Evra was clearly reluctant to shake Suarez’s hand. Johnson is simply answering a question from a journalist but he should have been doing this weeks ago.
Funny that the Man U blogs haven’t written anything about their own racist fan incident, the homophobia incidents from TWO Man U (former and current) youth players.
How about you write a blog post about George Best’s flagrant racism and the fact that he is still treated as a God by Man U fans.
How about you write an artical about how Man U fans constantly throw flak towards “scousers” regarding hurtful stereotypes, or the fact that Rooney is one himself.
Johnson the another fool you better go back to school to learn about manner before you comment.
Liverpool are no more racist than you are HOMOPHOBIC, Ravel Morrison and Macheda………….Johnson spoke as a black man and told it like it is…………..fantastic!!!!
Ravel Morrison plays for West Ham, get with the times.
But raised and nurtured under eye watchful eyes, West Ham(the would be victims) only inherits 100% of your hard work. Tic tac tic, only time will tell.
That is on the assumption he is the finished product, which he simply is not.
Maybe in the end this will turn out to be a bad move, or maybe in the end it will turn out to be a much needed insight from the factory floor putting a human face on the counter argument and not a “club stance” I don’t know, but one thing I do know is it’s very easy to say it was over from a united perspective as you don’t have to live with the bandwagon jumping masses or the idiot few who will never let this lie as long as its in recent memory, to be jeered most games with chants of, your all racists, city and team and constant berating from fan bases with no knowledge or connection with events is frankly sickening. With that constant tiraid you honestly question why Liverpool fans are so slow to let sleeping dogs lie. That’s not to mention a man, (who if we are to believe both parties, made a mistake, but wrongly said words that offended a man, whom has also now served his time,) who is every match without fail, by essentially any non Liverpool supporting fan, booed relentlessly and chanted into the ground by a populace who for the most part doesn’t care about the whys and what fors (statistically speaking a portion of that group is likely themselves to be or have been racist at some point, yet footballs tribal mentality puts them up on thier pedastalls) they only care about the footballing us and them mindset on game day. This is a young man a 25 year old who has near enough a whole country on his back due to the nature of his career, that is probably a lot more attention and vitriol then any of us could handle, and I doubt most truly deserving criminals have to deal with. And yet the media seem so innocently surprised when he kicks a ball in annoyance or pulls a face of frustration. This issue will not end untill it stops making money for the, true guardians of this particular storm in a teacup, which are the media, they relentlessly seek out another spark with which to hang the whole argument on again raking up every inch of the story and relatively no new journalism or opinion every time. Then they sit back and watch the fans, us lot, tear at each other while they weep and deplore the whole situation, isn’t it terrible we can’t all just leave this behind us and move away from racism in the game they say, while all the time sharpening their pencil for the next opportunity to stir the pot. And for the record I work in the media myself I’m not just pointing fingers at some entity alien to me I’m just admitting to the darker side of the industry I have chosen to be a part of. But a lot of your readers are going to get far enough into what I’ve said to realise my “alliances” and then stop reading and label me wrong, so why do I bother, because maybe a couple of you will just stop to think if not for a moment. Here’s hoping anyway 🙂 peace and love
Why bother writing such one sided drivel. Johnson was tight saying he’d been singled out by Paul McGrath. He points out he knows nothing of him, his lifestyle etc, yes Paul has an affinity with glen cos he’s black. That’s ridiculous. An Irish black man from the streets of Dublin Knows nothing about a middle class boy from London
There have been more arrests at old Trafford this season than at Anfield for racist incidents. I suggest you get your own house in order before criticising others as the evidence suggests the problem is worse in Manchester.
76000 gates v 40000 gates anything to do with that?
I feel actually you are right to point out the inconsistency of the FA, after all Suarez gets an 8 match ban and a £40,000 fine for inadvertently using a “racist” term whilst Macheda gets a slap on the wrist for referring to someone in a public forum as “AIDS-riddled faggot”
Lets be honest, this is only of interest to the press and people with too much time on their hands, Johnson has a right to his opinion and a right to express it
I’d advise people to read the whole daily mail article before you listen to this guy’s rant!