Gareth Thomas: Hate in the beautiful game

[UpTheBeehole]

Gareth Thomas was a nobody to most of the UK before he came out as gay

A nobody? Showing your own ignorance there pal. Gareth Thomas is one of only 4 players to have 100 caps for Wales, captained them, played for the Lions and won the Heineken Cup.

The equivalent in football is probably Gareth Bale, Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney or Bobby Charlton.

[NottsClaret]

Gareth posted on Crystal Palace message board - asking to meet to discuss views posted re Brighton. No one showed up for the meeting in a pub.

Interesting thread.. one thing that jumped out from the OP. The lad Thomas obviously knows nowt about the internet if he thought geeky little herberts on forums spouting hate and bull**** would ever so much as make a murmur to someone's face in the real world, let alone a former pro rugby player.

[bfccrazy]

A nobody? Showing your own ignorance there pal. Gareth Thomas is one of only 4 players to have 100 caps for Wales, captained them, played for the Lions and won the Heineken Cup.

The equivalent in football is probably Gareth Bale, Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney or Bobby Charlton.

Ask your aunty who Wayne Rooney is and who Gareth Thomas is and let me know the response to each.

It's why I said "to most of the UK" - and not all of it. The fact we post on a sports forum would probably make us more likely to know a rugby player..... I'm not saying he hasn't ha a great career but I can bet 90% of the UK don't know about most rugby players.

[bfccrazy]

Interesting thread.. one thing that jumped out from the OP. The lad Thomas obviously knows nowt about the internet if he thought geeky little herberts on forums spouting hate and bull**** would ever so much as make a murmur to someone's face in the real world, let alone a former pro rugby player.

Was interesting that in his words "I can obviously handle myself but I felt intimidated by the homophobic chanting I heard" - goes back to a point which has been brought up many times on this forum about people not getting involved when they hear things said in the stands which are derogatory..... When a former pro rugby player even felt intimidated by it.

[timshorts]

Ask your aunty who Wayne Rooney is and who Gareth Thomas is and let me know the response to each.

It's why I said "to most of the UK" - and not all of it. The fact we post on a sports forum would probably make us more likely to know a rugby player..... I'm not saying he hasn't ha a great career but I can bet 90% of the UK don't know about most rugby players.

Yes, if she was still alive, my aunt would have known exactly who Gareth Thomas was and would have recognised him in an instant (even though he played for Cardiff and not Llanelli). Possibly the same with Gareth Bale, Bobby Charlton and (maybe) Ryan Giggs. I'm not sure about this Wayne Rooney, though.

Steve Fenwick was her favourite. She fancied him rotten. She knew Barry John. And I have a feeling she rather liked Jean-Pierre Rives, although he wore the "wrong" shirt once a year.

[Paul Waine]

Interesting thread.. one thing that jumped out from the OP. The lad Thomas obviously knows nowt about the internet if he thought geeky little herberts on forums spouting hate and bull**** would ever so much as make a murmur to someone's face in the real world, let alone a former pro rugby player.

I'm pretty sure that he was just "calling them out" and making the point with his tv programme that "internet trolls" don't score very highly in the "courage" stakes.

Of course, everyone knew the tv cameras would be there, so they'd no need to fear that Gareth Thomas might practice a rugby tackle on them.

And, as already posted, I'm sure Gareth Thomas was making the point that the "sly name calling" does "chip away" at even the strongest and bravest sportsman, never mind what it might do to someone who doesn't have that "inner strength." So, Gareth Thomas was showing that he was on the side of the people being bullied.

[ClaretTony]

Gordon Taylor, representing PFA, was poor.

I watched this last night and couldn't agree more on Taylor, but what about Simone Pound the woman next to him? She is head of equalities at the PFA and has been in the job for 17 years. She was embarrassing. I'd have expected better from someone in the role for 17 weeks.

[Paul Waine]

I watched this last night and couldn't agree more on Taylor, but what about Simone Pound the woman next to him? She is head of equalities at the PFA and has been in the job for 17 years. She was embarrassing. I'd have expected better from someone in the role for 17 weeks.

I got the impression that she was only there to repeat whatever Taylor required her to say. There obviously wasn't much equality between the two of them.

Still, a little bit of better news in this morning's Times: "League has first gay referee."

The article states: Ryan Atkin has come out as England’s first openly gay professional referee in a move that has been welcomed by the FA as a significant development.

“Being gay doesn’t matter in the context of refereeing a match but if I’m speaking about equality and diversity, then I’m going to mention that I’m gay because it’s relevant,” the 32-year-old, who will be a fourth official in the Football League as well as taking charge of National League matches, told Sky Sports. “Homophobia is still a problem, but things are improving all the time.”

Atkin, from Plymouth, said recent commitments on LGBT inclusion from the FA, Premier League and EFL had been crucial to his decision to come out.

End of article.

[AlargeClaret]

MOD: Dreadful homophobic comments removed

[ClaretTony]

I got the impression that she was only there to repeat whatever Taylor required her to say. There obviously wasn't much equality between the two of them.

I thought, for someone who has been in the job for that long, she was embarrassing.

[bfccrazy]

I thought, for someone who has been in the job for that long, she was embarrassing.

The fact she couldnt answer basic questions which fall under the remit of what she gets paid what is probably a very healthy amount a year was very embarrassing.

[JohnDearyMe]

I watched this last night and couldn't agree more on Taylor, but what about Simone Pound the woman next to him? She is head of equalities at the PFA and has been in the job for 17 years. She was embarrassing. I'd have expected better from someone in the role for 17 weeks.

Agreed, they were both awful.

Sad that the world of football at large remains so backwards in this regard

[aggi]

Well the Burnley fans today illustrated that there is still a lot of progress that needs to be made.

[Goddy]

Well the Burnley fans today illustrated that there is still a lot of progress that needs to be made.

Agreed, aggi. That was the only (but quite damning) blot on the landscape on what was an otherwise truly fantastic day.

[Paul Waine]

The Times, 16-August-2017

Man at heart of the dressing room who came out to Southampton side

liaison officer Hugo Scheckter tells Alex Kay-Jelski how the squad reacted with humour when he told them he was gay

Quotes from opening paragraphs:

"Hugo Scheckter’s phone rang twice in the seconds after he sent a Whatsapp message to Southampton’s players and staff to tell them that he was gay. Two of the squad told him how happy they were for him, offered their support and wished him all the best. And then the other messages started.

“I got two asking if Charlie Austin had stolen my phone. I had to record a voice message to prove it was me,” laughs Scheckter, Southampton’s player liaison officer and one of the few men, if not the only one, to have come out to a Premier League dressing room.

The response, rather than being a mixture of the awkward, rude or dismissive many might wrongly expect from a group of footballers, was far more welcoming.


Article is well worth a read.

[Paul Waine]

Well done Charlton Athletic: Charlton proud to launch the first club, trust-affiliated LGBTQI+ friendly football team

Press release: 24-August-2017.

http://www.cafc.co.uk/news/view/599ee67 ... tball-team" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We are delighted to announce that Charlton Athletic Community Trust (CACT) will become the first professional football club’s community trust in the UK to establish a dedicated LGBTQI+ friendly football team.

The formal launch of CACT Invicta FC (CIFC) took place on Thursday, August 24th 2017 (2pm), at The Valley, home of Charlton Athletic FC. 
In line with the mission and values of CACT, and the community ethos of the club, CIFC will be committed to providing structured playing opportunities to members of the LGBTQI+ community and their supporters, as well as supporting initiatives specifically designed to tackle discrimination and promote equality. 

The House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee Report, Homophobia in Sport, published in February of this year, emphasised that: ‘homophobia was emerging as a bigger problem in football than . . . other forms of discrimination’. Furthermore, in highlighting ‘how things can change’ the Committee clearly stated that: ‘we recognise the importance of safe and welcoming environments in which to participate in sport for the LGBT community and believe that LGBT-friendly sports clubs go some way towards addressing the problem’.

Gary Ginnaw, Player-Manager for CIFC said “There is no place for prejudice in the game. Charlton was at the forefront of the fight against racism in football and the Club now is leading the way in the fight against homophobia in football. The establishment of the first ever Professional Football League Club dedicated LGBTQI+-Friendly Football Team, CACT Invicta FC, is a monumental step and will go a long way in ensuring discrimination due to sexual orientation or preference is eradicated from the game.”

Katrien Meire, Charlton Athletic CEO said: “We are proud to be involved in this important launch that promotes positive change and inclusion. The Community Trust and CACT Invicta have put in a lot of work to get us to this point and we’re pleased as a club to support in whatever way we can. We’re looking forward to seeing CACT Invicta wearing the Charlton colours this season. Sadly homophobia is still a problem in football, and one we, as a club, take very seriously and are proactive on. Hopefully others can take inspiration from CACT Invicta to further promote positive change in the sport.”

Dr Michael Seeraj, CACT Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, said: “Charlton has a long and impressive history of pioneering anti-discriminatory work in football and communities. In relation to tackling racism, Charlton led the way 25 years ago in partnership with the Royal Borough of Greenwich, with the establishment of the Charlton Athletic Race & Equality (CARE) Partnership, which has grown from strength to strength. We are incredibly proud to bring the learning from this rich and important history, to now engaging with the LGBTQI+ community. The Charlton v Homophobia football tournament organised by the Proud Valiants, Charlton’s LGBTQI+ Supporters Group, was an incredible success and we are fully committed to continuing to promote equality in all areas of our work.”

Paul Elliott MBE (Chair, FA Inclusion Advisory Board) said: “Charlton have an incredible record of engaging with under-represented groups. I am honoured to be an Ambassador of the CARE Partnership, who led the way in promoting race equality. Establishing an LGBT friendly football team, to provide opportunities for the LGBT community and their supporters to take part in football, demonstrates their pioneering and forward thinking approach. The launch of CACT Invicta FC is a landmark event.”

Saw this mentioned on local BBC News.

Also saw that the "Homophobic chanting at Stamford Bridge" thread has been locked earlier this evening.