Former Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Ramon Vega has called for more action against racism in football, saying the Black Lives Matter movement is “an enormous propaganda” which is not enough.
Racism incidences in some football stadiums around the world are rife and continue to be recorded, while concerns that they will not stop anytime soon keep growing.
This is despite some clubs being penalised to play behind closed doors and being slapped with hefty fines by football authorities, as well as players walking off the pitch in protest against racial abuse.
The resumption of football in some European leagues have seen the advancement of the Black Lives Matter movement by players standing against racial injustices but Vega, however, feels that more should be done to in dealing with racism.
“To be honest it’s not enough [Black Lives Matter], actually it’s an enormous propaganda,” Vega told Goal.
Next Match
“Action is not being taken whatsoever because it’s a daily routine to live with each other. That’s the key importance of the movement and not just going on the streets and have a movement.
“Yes, of course, it’s awareness but how many times in the last 56 years [has] that happened? Nothing happened afterwards. A month later or two everybody has forgotten about this movement.”
The Swiss retired footballer has stressed education and stern action is required in the fight against racism.
“It’s not about the race here, it’s really about the human person and education of the human person and that’s what we need to be looking into action, not just movement and propaganda,” said Vega.
“Action is required here and I think that [is] key to this. For a long time in our society, I am frank to say it’s actually should [have been] cleared a long time ago but we are still here and to be honest it now needs to be action instead of just a movement.”
While Black Lives Matter has gained momentum in football, there appears to be public resistance on the movement.
A white banner was flown over the Etihad on Monday carrying a banner reading, ‘White Lives Matter Burnley’ prior to Manchester City thrashing Burnley 5-0.
The controversial banner has widely received condemnation including from the likes of City manager, Pep Guardiola.
