England manager Gareth Southgate believes there are double standards at play with the media compounding fears over racism in Russia ahead of this summer’s World Cup.
Racism is a major concern in Russia, something the media have spoken about at length to supporters travelling to the World Cup, but Southgate believes England still has a long way to go before it can point the finger at others.
He said to Sky Sports: “I don’t think we should just talk about racism in Russia – we have got to get our own house in order. There is still things going on in our own country that aren’t correct around racism.
“So, we keep pointing the finger at Russia, where we’re going to be guests in the next few months, but we haven’t resolved the issue in our own country.”
Southgate revealed he spoke to Kick It Out’s education manager Troy Townsend about racism in British society, highlighting an incident on social media that shows how far England still has to go.
The Football Association has been criticised for not taking a BAME coach to the World Cup to support the black players in the squad, with Labour MP David Lammy public in his condemnation of the decision. PFA trustee Garth Crooks was also disappointed and believed Southgate was letting down his players.
Nevertheless, the 47-year-old head coach believes he would be doing a disservice to victims of racism in England by ignoring the problem and instead jumping on the bandwagon ahead of the Russian World Cup.
He’s taken a bold stance in the media, but time will tell if any breakthrough is made on taking a BAME coach to the tournament.