John Barnes is England's third-most-capped BAME int'l of all time.GETTY IMAGES
Black former footballer John Barnes believes there is an "irrational pressure" on football to tackle racism. When asked "if there is an undue expectation on football to eradicate racism," Barnes said, "It is an irrational pressure, it is a stupid pressure. Football can do nothing about getting rid of racism. Society can. It is OK pointing the finger at Russia and saying how terrible it is in Russia but that alleviates us looking at ourselves and Gareth Southgate has said that himself. We still have a long way to go. How many black managers do we have? Has anything really changed?" (PA, 9/10).
A Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen supporters group called on the Scottish FA to "clarify its disciplinary system" following the recent decision to uphold Michael Devlin’s red card against Kilmarnock. Devlin was sent off early in the game. The Dons appealed the dismissal. Dons Supporters Together spokesperson Gordon Duncan said, "At the very least, there should be clarity as to why claims are dismissed, including incidents cited by the Compliance Officer" (SCOTSMAN, 9/10).
UEFA lifted its threat to ban Ligue 1 side Olympique de Marseille from European competition "if there is a repeat of the violence" which marred its Europa League campaign last season. However, the team still has to play its next home European match behind closed doors, UEFA said in a statement on Monday (REUTERS, 9/10).
