Barnes: "Taking a knee or not is not going to change people's perceptions. It's highlighting the problem, bringing it to the table to have a conversation, but more needs to be done with that conversation."
Tuesday 23 March 2021 17:17, UK
Former Liverpool and England midfielder John Barnes says football can't change people's perceptions when it comes to racism, but it should highlight the problem and create a conversation.
Football players continue to be subjected to racism, particularly on social media, where Manchester United midfielder Fred and Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos have been the most recent recipitents of abuse online.
Teams across the country have been kneeling ahead of games since June 2020 in an effort to highlight racial inequality, following the death of George Floyd and subsequent rise of the Black Lives Matter movement.
However some players, including Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha and more recently Livingston captain Marvin Bartley have opted against kneeling as they do not feel it is having an impact in preventing racism.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa’s Tyrone Mings believes kneeling still sends a strong message.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Barnes - a strong campaigner for anti-racism - said kneeling itself: "can’t do anything to change the problem".
"Football can’t change people’s perceptions. What football can do is highlight it, which is what they’re doing by taking a knee - or not taking a knee. All they can do is highlight it.
"Taking a knee or not is not going to change people’s perceptions. It’s highlighting the problem, bringing it to the table to have a conversation, but more needs to be done with that conversation.
"We need to do more."
In February, Daily Mirror assistant editor Darren Lewis said: "Black ex-footballers are second-class citizens in our sport," pointing to a lack of black managers, and lack of black people in leadership roles at the FA and EFL.
Barnes believes this is simply part of wider societal issues. He said: "It’s not just in football.
"Yes, we have to stop racism and discrimination in football, and get more black people in the boardroom. But unfortunately 90 per cent of racism we don’t see. Listening to what Tyrone Mings said… we haven’t started the conversation.
"Taking a knee should have started the conversation. It hasn’t. When Show Racism the Red Card came in 20 years ago in the Champions League, passing [the banner] along, a conversation should have been started. But it wasn’t.
"All we do is make these gestures without any tangible difference."
When asked how we do start those conversations, Barnes said: "Organisations can’t change people’s perceptions. This is a societal problem.
"Until we begin to tackle it in society, in schools, in normal jobs. How do we start a conversation? It starts by looking at society, looking at ourselves, and saying, ‘do we really believe in equality?’
"You have the gender issue, you have the sexuality issue and you have the race issue. Are we saying we believe in equality for all?
"The answer is, society as a whole doesn’t. So until we begin looking at ourselves and not just the ones who get caught, nothing will change."
Sky Sports is committed to making skysports.com and our channels on social media platforms a place for comment and debate that is free of abuse, hate and profanity.
For more information, please visit: www.skysports.com/hatewontstopus
If you see a reply to Sky Sports posts and/or content with an expression of hate on the basis of race, colour, gender, nationality, ethnicity, disability, religion, sexuality, age or class, please copy the URL to the hateful post or screengrab it and email us here.
Online Reporting Form | Kick It Out
Kick It Out is football's equality and inclusion organisation - working throughout the football, educational and community sectors to challenge discrimination, encourage inclusive practices and campaign for positive change.
