Liverpool FC Forum

[metalhead]

Kenny Dalglish today insisted he would never have agreed to return as Liverpool manager if he felt the Club wasn't fully committed to the fight against discrimination.





One year on from Dalglish's emotional return, the boss has pledged that everybody at Anfield will continue to play their part in helping eradicate all forms of racism from the world of football.







Dalglish on what LFC stands for


"This is a worldwide football institution, this is a football club that has supporters of every creed, colour, nationality that you could think of," said Dalglish. "It's been fantastically successful, we've been fortunate that such a really sound, solid base was set up with Shanks in the sixties and seventies, carried on through many people - Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan, administrative staff upstairs, the Chairman John Smith, Peter Robinson, the support has grown and grown and within that support, there's a fantastic cross-section of people. We would never have that support if we were in any way, shape or form prejudiced or discriminatory against any one part of the community.

"Our football club is based on being a football club serving the community, and whoever is in the community we will treat as an equal. It never has been a club that's discriminated and never will be one that discriminates against anyone else. For us, the football club is more important than any one individual, whether that person be a supporter, a player or the owner. It's not about the individual, it's about the football club and we should be very proud of this football club.

"Over the past few weeks there has been a perception that the football club isn't doing what it should be doing, but I don't think the football club would ever go down that road. We will always support the official campaigns related to racism.

"Obviously there was a big issue with Luis. The players showed support for Luis which was fantastic, but then some people interpreted that wrongly as the players saying they're not interested in the fight against racism. That is totally and utterly rubbish. If we can help to eradicate racism or discrimination from any part of the society, with the help of anybody at Liverpool Football Club, then that help will be forthcoming.

"We don't want racism anywhere near football and certainly not anywhere near this football club.

"Then we move on and we had another incident with young Tom Adeyemi for Oldham. All we can say - it's a police matter - is if Tom, the police want any help in any way, shape or form then we'll give it to them. For me, the most important thing is that as a football club we all stick together. We all have a responsibility to act responsibly. The person who shouted whatever he shouted at Tom that upset him, if we can help the police find out who it is and he gets charged, then whatever we can do to make the punishment as severe as it could be will be done.

"For me, it's a couple of days past a year since I was asked to come back. It was an honour and a privilege for me to come back and I can guarantee to the supporters out there that there is no way I would have come back to this football club if I thought it was in any way, shape or form racist or discriminatory. I wouldn't be here.

"I was brought up in Glasgow, I'm very proud to be a Glaswegian. That's had its own undercurrent. In those days back there I was used to it, I was brought up to be respectful to the teachers, to be respectful to policemen, but also to be respectful to people, irrespective of their colour, their creed or their religion and I don't think it stood me in too bad a stead.

"For me, that's the way I'll continue my life. I was told also that if you tell the truth then you won't go too far wrong, so I will always maintain that stance and I think that's the stance that this football club has always maintained.

"If we can help in any way, shape or form with anything the FA put forward regards anti-racism, we'll be first up to the plate."

Link

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Well said Kenny

[RedSi35]

Kenny has this knack of always saying the right things.

I know that some of it probably does come from the press room but a lot of it comes from the heart. A strong speech to deflect some of the flack

[dundreamin]

I don't give a fook what people say,or call me water off a ducks back.and also I don't care what I say, or call people. Like the saying goes" sticks and  stones etc etc"

[Thommo's perm]

there will be an open and adult debate about it, but not just yet. anti-racism, race awareness, or whatever you want to call it is still a new thing and nobody really knows how to talk about it or resolve it yet. but just like women voting and gay marriage it'll be second nature in a few years time.

It wont happen in my lifetime, Im certain of that.
Because of my support of Suarez I have been called pro-racist by some, including a member of my family!
Women without votes was easy to solve; change the law and give them the vote
Gays wanted to get married; change the law and allow it
Where can you go with stopping discrimination against someone because of their colour? It is already illegal.
As Ive said before racism is confusing and unworkable and, as we have seen in the cases of Suarez and Terry, can be used as a weapon to demonise or, as Im sure in Terrys case, as a tool to "unite" colours and cultures.
Whilst black people use and accept racism as a means to seperate and punish they are doing us all a dis-service because it makes it that much harder to speak freely and therefore breeds resentment and anger.

[Greavesie]

Kenny Dalglish today insisted he would never have agreed to return as Liverpool manager if he felt the Club wasn't fully committed to the fight against discrimination.





One year on from Dalglish's emotional return, the boss has pledged that everybody at Anfield will continue to play their part in helping eradicate all forms of racism from the world of football.







Dalglish on what LFC stands for


"This is a worldwide football institution, this is a football club that has supporters of every creed, colour, nationality that you could think of," said Dalglish. "It's been fantastically successful, we've been fortunate that such a really sound, solid base was set up with Shanks in the sixties and seventies, carried on through many people - Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan, administrative staff upstairs, the Chairman John Smith, Peter Robinson, the support has grown and grown and within that support, there's a fantastic cross-section of people. We would never have that support if we were in any way, shape or form prejudiced or discriminatory against any one part of the community.

"Our football club is based on being a football club serving the community, and whoever is in the community we will treat as an equal. It never has been a club that's discriminated and never will be one that discriminates against anyone else. For us, the football club is more important than any one individual, whether that person be a supporter, a player or the owner. It's not about the individual, it's about the football club and we should be very proud of this football club.

"Over the past few weeks there has been a perception that the football club isn't doing what it should be doing, but I don't think the football club would ever go down that road. We will always support the official campaigns related to racism.

"Obviously there was a big issue with Luis. The players showed support for Luis which was fantastic, but then some people interpreted that wrongly as the players saying they're not interested in the fight against racism. That is totally and utterly rubbish. If we can help to eradicate racism or discrimination from any part of the society, with the help of anybody at Liverpool Football Club, then that help will be forthcoming.

"We don't want racism anywhere near football and certainly not anywhere near this football club.

"Then we move on and we had another incident with young Tom Adeyemi for Oldham. All we can say - it's a police matter - is if Tom, the police want any help in any way, shape or form then we'll give it to them. For me, the most important thing is that as a football club we all stick together. We all have a responsibility to act responsibly. The person who shouted whatever he shouted at Tom that upset him, if we can help the police find out who it is and he gets charged, then whatever we can do to make the punishment as severe as it could be will be done.

"For me, it's a couple of days past a year since I was asked to come back. It was an honour and a privilege for me to come back and I can guarantee to the supporters out there that there is no way I would have come back to this football club if I thought it was in any way, shape or form racist or discriminatory. I wouldn't be here.

"I was brought up in Glasgow, I'm very proud to be a Glaswegian. That's had its own undercurrent. In those days back there I was used to it, I was brought up to be respectful to the teachers, to be respectful to policemen, but also to be respectful to people, irrespective of their colour, their creed or their religion and I don't think it stood me in too bad a stead.

"For me, that's the way I'll continue my life. I was told also that if you tell the truth then you won't go too far wrong, so I will always maintain that stance and I think that's the stance that this football club has always maintained.

"If we can help in any way, shape or form with anything the FA put forward regards anti-racism, we'll be first up to the plate."

Link

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Well said Kenny

so which part of that will the press use to crucify us tomorrow then?

[Thommo's perm]

Anyone involved with the club should shut the fu'ck up now and let everything calm down

[Kharhaz]

Anyone involved with the club should shut the fu'ck up now and let everything calm down

Everyone did keep quite until one idiot in the crowd fed the press more ammo to gun us with.

[Kerry07]

Issuing statements defending our character after one... i repeat one... cretin shouts racist abuse in a crowd of 45,000.. i have a serious problem with that.

The club has defended the character of one player (and only he knows his motive). So that makes two individuals .. a player and a fan... two people.. two f*cking people.. and we cower to the diabolical, immoral, hyperbolic little englander media and issue statements. There is a court case going on right now about their unethical behaviour... we shouldn't be issuing any statements via this lot. We have defended the character of Suarez, thats it.. and the idiot who shouted abuse at the oldham player is being dealt with by the authorities. No more should be said.

As for the FA.. a completely white, middle class establishment (sense the f&cking irony), and one of their very own Stanley Rous was single-handely responsible when FIFA was at its most racist as this runt sought the readmittance of South Africa into the organisation during the height of apartheid (which cost him his position as president).

We should not be pandering to establishments that are beneath us.. the little englander british media is the most immoral in the western world, and the all white fa (and their disgraceful history) haven't got a leg to stand on.

[Reg]

At the moment this thread is plodding along peacefully and long may it do so

Just when you need lando.... 

[maguskwt]

To me and I might be naive here, an ideal world where everyone enjoys equality should be one where people won't be offended just because they think that they are being discriminated when someone else refers to them by the colour of their skin. I think I read a south American slam the Suarez witch hunt and explained how in Uruguay people can call each other blackie or whitie and they won't get offended. I agree with him 100%. that's the type of world we want to live in. Of course if you say " you feckin south American" or "south Americans are up" it becomes offensive. But it is still a level below racism. What the FA and the British press might not know is that someone can be racist without uttering a single word... through discrimination and injustice. For example, a racist is someone who refuses to have lunch with a new colleague because of the new colleague's race. It's his prerogative and it doesn't hurt anybody (not yet) but he's still a racist and this type of racism is the more dangerous one. Because when this type of person attains an office of influence, his racist discrimination will lead to injustice against that certain race. Calling someone black, white, Chinese, Indian, Asian, should not be categorized as racism. Even offensive name calling like feckin black is very offensive but we need to be careful about labeling the offender as racist. In this context the media is way out of order when they accused Suarez of being racist.

[devaney]

I don't give a fook what people say,or call me water off a ducks back.and also I don't care what I say, or call people. Like the saying goes" sticks and  stones etc etc"

What people say ultimately results in actions. Suggest you give a little more thought to what you think and say.It's because of idiots that don't care what they say that our name is being dragged through the mud as a result of the Adeyemi incident.

Come on mate - I'm sure you didn't mean to come across the way you did. WE ALL NEED TO TAKE CARE WHAT WE SAY PERHAPS MORE THESE DAYS THAN EVER BEFORE!

[red till i die!!]

I don't give a fook what people say,or call me water off a ducks back.and also I don't care what I say, or call people. Like the saying goes" sticks and  stones etc etc"

What people say ultimately results in actions. Suggest you give a little more thought to what you think and say.It's because of idiots that don't care what they say that our name is being dragged through the mud as a result of the Adeyemi incident.

Come on mate - I'm sure you didn't mean to come across the way you did. WE ALL NEED TO TAKE CARE WHAT WE SAY PERHAPS MORE THESE DAYS THAN EVER BEFORE!

i dont understand why so many are condemning the club over one idiot who couldnt handle his drink.one person in a packed stadium yells racial abuse at a black player and low and behold we are all racists.
i would much prefer if our fans stuck behind our club and defended our stance that we are not racist rather than queue up to paint us with the same brush as the media

[Reg]

Well said mate, anyoone who thinks football grounds have been holier than a church need their head examining. They've always been a hotbed of fevour, passion, swearing, namke calling, humour, joy and tears. Emotion. No one swore at Meelan when we were 3-0 down or called Herman Crespo an argie $&*& ?? Dream on, its natural.

[andy_g]

i have a feeling that this story won't be making it to the pages of the mirror or to the twitter accounts of the 'kickthemout' mob.

[stmichael]

i have a feeling that this story won't be making it to the pages of the mirror or to the twitter accounts of the 'kickthemout' mob.

exactly.

on the sky website that article is hidden away in the league one section. had it been negative you can guarantee it would have been plastered all over the main page.