Football needs to act after racism reared its ugly head in the game when the manager of one of England's top clubs was singled out for his religious beliefs.
Avram Grant, the manager of Chelsea Football Club, has received death threats which have drawn attention to his Jewish beliefs. His wife was also targeted for abuse in a package sent to the English football club.
The police responded quickly but football also needs to take a firm stand to ensure that this sort of behaviour is prevented as much as possible.
The Nature of the Package
The package, which contained a quantity of white powder, was sent with a letter to the club’s training ground in Surrey, southern England. The letter, which was addressed to Grant, stated that the substance was lethal. According to the Daily Mail, one note read: "You are a back-stabbing Jewish bastard. When you open this letter you will die a very slow and painful death."
Death threats of a sexual nature were also made to Grant's wife, Tzofit, who is a well-known TV personality in the couple's native Israel.
The Police Response
When the package was sent, Avram Grant and his team were in Greece for a European club fixture and it was opened by a member of the training ground staff. The police were called immediately and they sealed off the area.
A police spokesman said, "A white powder contained within the package was analysed by specialists from Surrey Fire Service and was determined to be a harmless substance.”
They are continuing with their enquiries.
What Football Should Do
There is no place in any part of society for this sort of behaviour and certainly no place for it in sport. Some people have attributed the package to an individual or group that was angered when the Jewish Grant took over as Chelsea’s manager following the surprise departure of the popular Jose Mourinho last year.
However, there are no excuses for religious intolerance and football should take this very seriously. Sometimes the sport is used as a mask for racists, bigots and hooligans, but these aren’t sport fans and they shouldn’t be treated as though they are.
Religion shouldn’t be used as a divisive tool in a sport which is used to help unite communities worldwide.
These people are monsters and whether the powder was harmless or lethal, the intention behind it was to cause distress.
Football needs to identify these extremists and give them life bans. They need to send a message out to everyone else that this sort of behaviour won’t be tolerated and offenders won’t simply be dealt with by the law, otherwise the next time it could end in something much worse.
