Elliott holds up English example

By Paul Saffer

Former Chelsea FC captain Paul Elliott believes that England is leading the way in the fight against racism, but that there is still a long way to go.

Diversity speech
Elliott, a special advisor to the United Kingdom's Council for Racial Equality, spoke on the subject of diversity at the recent Grass Roots Football Show in London. Drawing on his experience throughout his career in England and Italy, Elliott described the improvements he had seen since his early playing days, and urged for that to continue.

'Serious issue'
He told uefa.com: "It is a very serious issue in Europe. In the UK we are the leaders in challenging it and eradicating it and we need the authorities at the higher level in the sport to help as well."

'Psychological impact'
During his speech, Elliott remembered the shock of receiving racist abuse for the first time as a youth player at Charlton Athletic FC. "I was aware of racism in society," the Londoner said. "But to be called [black] by a sportsman was very distressing. It had a psychological impact on the whole game."

Early improvements
Elliott added: "There was no real support system." Referees would not crack down on racism at the time, but things changed when he joined Luton Town FC. "[Manager] David Pleat would speak out against bananas being thrown or monkey chants," said Elliott.

Italian experience
However, it did not prepare the defender for what he experienced in Italy with Pisa Calcio and AS Bari. "I was the first black player on the team," he said. "I recall a game against [AS] Roma, where there were 45,000 monkey chants every time I had the ball. I couldn’t really go out socially - there was the danger of assault, and I was spat on."

FA efforts
Later, playing for Celtic FC and Chelsea, Elliott says things improved. "The best way to deal with it is excellence," he said. "[By the 1990s] there were changes - more black players and campaigns. From 1993 the Football Association did more in the areas of race, disability and equality."

FARE campaign
But although there has been "good progress", Elliott points out: "The issue of race has not left society. There is still a big issue of touchline violence [at grassroots level]." As an example of a body making progress, Elliott picks out the English players' union, the Professional Footballers' Association and its chief executive Gordon Taylor, also involved in the UEFA-backed Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) campaign.

'Leading light'
"He is a leading light - if you look at the diversity within the workplace at the PFA it speaks volumes," Elliott said. "I know when he has his meetings with the authorities he will be driving the good work done within the UK and he like me has the same optimism about translating it on the European stage."

Community relations
Elliott's first club are also a paragon in this field, with a thriving community programme. Charlton also aim to deal with the wide range of religions represented in their south-east London catchment area. "It is all about being educated, if you look at Charlton they send their staff on refresher courses to keep up to date with the diverse cultures they are dealing with," Elliott said.

Player contracts
Charlton also insist every player's contract requires them to do 4-6 hours community work, and Elliott believes that engagement is the way forward and could be copied throughout Europe. "People listen to what their heroes say," he pointed out. "It can turn a negative into a positive."