Man City scout under investigation for alleged racist descriptions of black players
A Manchester City youth scout is the subject of a club investigation after he allegedly referred to black players as “BBQs” – his way of describing the kids as “big, black and quick.”
The scout, Dean Ramsdale, allegedly used the acronym during a meeting with agents and other City staffers in June.
One of those agents or staffers reportedly followed up on the meeting with a letter to the club detailing Ramsdale’s “racial profiling.” The club has apologized, and recently launched an investigation into the allegations.
Manchester City responds to complaint
City acknowledged receipt of the letter, and released a statement Wednesday saying the “matter is ongoing.” Here’s the statement in full:
“Manchester City received a complaint last month relating to racially inappropriate language used by a club employee in an external meeting.
“The complaint was immediately raised to the appropriate department and the matter is ongoing. Whilst the club cannot comment on the specific case while it is in process, we have a zero tolerance approach to discrimination of any kind and a disciplinary code of conduct which covers alleged matters of this nature.
“The club strongly condemns discrimination of any kind and actively supports campaigns and initiatives, both internally and externally, where we can use our influence and voice to support the eradication of discrimination from the game.”
Racism in English and European soccer is nothing new
City is not the first English Premier League outfit to deal with racism or alleged racism by club personnel in 2018. Back in January, West Ham’s then-director of recruitment Tony Henry admitted to a bias against African players – because they “sometimes have a bad attitude” and “cause mayhem.” Henry was fired days later.
Implicit racism is prevalent throughout English soccer, at all levels. It’s even more virulent elsewhere in Europe. But soccer remains in denial about the problem.
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Henry Bushnell covers global soccer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Question? Comment? Email him at henrydbushnell@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter @HenryBushnell, and on Facebook.
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