I was very saddened to hear of the death of Cyrille Regis today, a black footballer of the 1970's who was one of the first League One players of colour and who played for West Bromwich Albion at a time when the West Midlands were a strong area of support for racism. Regis faced off organised racist chanting and moved to nearby Coventry City where he won the F.A. Cup and eventually played for England despite receiving death threats and other abuse.
It's impossible now to imagine what players like Regis went through, indeed the next generation of Black players like Uan Wright were able to go on the offensive because of the stand that players like Regis had gone through.
It's also important to remember that they weren't alone although support was often muted or not reported. Brian Clough was a strong opponent of racism in society in general and in sport in particular.
There's still work to be done but the likes of Cyrille Regis set the path that is now followed by so many.
Neil Harris
(a don't stop till you stop production)
Home: helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com
Contact me: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com
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