Racism in the 80s: Paul Canoville Interviews

[Satchmo Distel]

Chelsea's first black player on the racism he suffered at Chelsea:

2018: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3csvqpg

2020: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3csz13w

He says he left Chelsea after he was racially abused by a fellow player because the club stood behind the abuser and dumped him.

Note: I'm not singling out Chelsea; it happened everywhere

[Nefertiti2]

More on Racism at Chelsea here

One incident occurred at a youth-team match in Spain when Rix allegedly shouted at one of the claimants, in the presence of the other players and coaching staff, that if his “heart was as big as his cock, he would be a great player”.

When this abuse was met by laughter from others, Rix went on to say that the claimant “should have been the only person in the whole stadium to be able to endure the 40-degree heat, as blacks were always winning the long-distance Olympic events in the heat, if they weren’t spear-chucking”.

On another occasion, the teenage apprentice was cleaning one of the professional players’ boots when Rix allegedly asked him whether he had “fucked any of our white birds” at the weekend. “Rix told him that if it was his daughter he would ‘lynch (his) black arse’,” Counsell writes. “The claimant, tired of the constant harassment, countered by joking that that may happen one day, at which (point) Rix lost his temper and poured a scalding cup of coffee over the claimant’s head, causing him to suffer minor burn injuries.”

[Antepli Ejderha]

"Chelsea are fighting the claims through their insurers and have brought in a barrister, Nicholas Fewtrell, who previously represented Crewe Alexandra and Manchester City in compensation cases involving victims of the paedophile football coach Barry Bennell.
Fewtrell has also represented the Catholic Church in several compensation claims, whereas the players have appointed Counsell to explain why they are “taken aback” that Chelsea’s stance is markedly different from the one previously articulated by the club."

So much that could be highlighted from that article, it's deeply offensive, so I thought I'd highlight who Chelsea have employed to defend themselves.

As for Rix and Williams it's unbelievable that they continued in football for so long. How could clubs have employed Rix, a convicted child rapist, after he was released?