Roy Hodgson’s England squad contains eight black players. It would not even be considered an issue in normal circumstances, for years a large number of the England side has been black and race is not remotely important to the vast majority of those in the game in England. This year’s Euro’s though may not be “normal circumstances”. There is a distinct problem with racism in some parts of Poland and Ukraine and it has not gone unnoticed by at least one of England’s stars.
Theo Walcott, nor any of his England team mates have contacted the FA to express any concern, but the Arsenal man’s family are not planning on joining him for the tournament. His brother, Ashley and father, Don, have both decided to enjoy the games from the safety of their own country. Ashley announced their decision on Twitter saying, “Unfortunately my dad and I have taken the decision not to travel to the Ukraine because of the fear of possible racist attacks/confrontations”.
The Foreign office documents show that there is a real issue in Ukraine with their travel advise to the country stating “foreign nationals have been the victims of violent crime in Kyiv and other major cities, in some cases attacks have been racially motivated.” The Foreign Office goes on to warn “Travellers of Asian or Afro-Caribbean descent and individuals belonging to religious minorities should take extra care.”
The Walcott’s went on to question the decision of UEFA to award the tournament to a country such as Ukraine where racism is still an issue in the 21st Century. It seems a real worry that in the modern world eight of the England team and their families could be in real risk of suffering violent abuse solely due to their ethnicity. The hope will be that none of this transpires but if Ashley and Don Walcott miss out on seeing their brother and son competing in a major football tournament, surely the issue already needs looking into.