The Big Interview - Michael Johnson

Last updated : 18 November 2004 By The Rambler

DerbyMad: Racism in football seems to have reared its ugly head again during the week in the England game in Spain last night. I think many people in this country thought that was a problem that had we were getting over, or were we just blinkered?

Michael Johnson: I think it’s always been there underneath, especially when you play abroad. It’s a lot better in England. But when you get abroad in places like Spain and Turkey it is awful. Obviously last night was bad. I think it was the worst in the `5 years that I have been playing football.

DM: Yet Spain and Turkey have a percentage of black players over there.

MJ: It’s unbelievable. You see the likes of Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and Etu. Not forgetting Paulo Wanchope who used to be here. You can’t understand why it is happening. But there is no place for it here today in society.

DM: What do people do?

MJ: Well that’s the question. Obviously the Spanish manager has got away with comments that he made a few weeks ago. It’s been swept under the carpet. Now are we going to sweep this under the carpet too? Does Spain eventually get its hand slapped? And it should be slapped too. I know that they are in for the 2012 Olympics. To me sorry but that is a big target. Obviously you could take the Olympics from them because that is a massive money-spinner. Something'’ got to be done.

DM: I guess if you had been playing in the game you would have considered walking off.

MJ: If I was playing last night I, for one, would have walked off that pitch. I have got a six-month-old son and I kept looking at him last night and I felt anger. I thought what had he done to hear all that stuff last night. And it’s not making anybody the winners here. They’ve gone to enjoy a game of football. And I’m sure to God that Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinanad, Jermaine Jenas, and Shaun Wright-Phillips did not enjoy that last night.

DM: Of course Derby and Nottingham where you live are multicultural communities. And Derby is a multicultural team.

MJ: I think that is the key in England. I think the majority, if not all the teams in England do have black players amongst their ranks, and it has settled down. The early eighties it was awful. Burt I think England has come a long way. It’s not 100% but it is getting there. Now whatever it is that England has done – the campaigns to throw out racism campaigns – need to be introduced abroad.