Tuesday, May 13 – 2014
Liverpool F.C.’s first black player spoke passionately yesterday about a life time battling against racism both on and off the pitch.
Howard Gayle, speaking at construction union Ucatt’s conference on behalf of Show Racism The Red Card, told delegates how he spent a childhood fighting because he was the only black pupil at his school.
“I would come home with ripped clothes and broken shoes. But I believe everything happens for a reason and this experience only prepared me for what was to come as a black footballer.”
He recounted how one of his own teammates at Liverpool F.C. subjected him to a torrent of racist abuse that only stopped when Mr Gayle threatened to attack him in his own home.
“We must be more responsible in fighting against racism,” Mr Gayle said. “If we see something wrong, we must speak out. If we see someone doing right, we must praise it.”
(Morning Star, 14-05-2015)
