So, that admirable totem of journalistic objectivity and fairness The Sun has run with a story suggesting Lionel Messi is a racist. The only problem is that it has got its facts hopelessly mixed up, courtesy of its main and only source Everton’s Royston Drenthe’s apparent ignorance of colloquial Argentine.
Drenthe-on loan to Everton from Real Madrid-is reportedly unhappy that while playing in La Liga two seasons ago Messi allegedly said Hola Negro to him . Messi is reportedly somewhat perplexed, not to say pissed off that this should be turned into the tabloid’s latest ‘Argie-bashing’ tirade (remember it was the Sun that famously headlined the sinking of the Belgrano with GOTCHA!).
And I can well understand Messi feeling the Sun story to be grossly unfair.Messi is not someone that by nature courts the attention of the media for anything other than his genius with the ball.
In truth, Spanish football had had its fair share of racist controversies . In my book La Roja I recall that incident in October 2004 when the then Spanish national coach Aragones was overheard telling Reyes, in reference to his then Arsenal team-mate Thiery Henry: “ Tell that negro de mierda (that black shit) that you are better than him….”
Aragones unwittingly put Spanish football’s attitudes towards race under international scrutiny, exposing a culture at best of ambivalence, at worst of collective denial within Spain about the country’s attitude towards the issue at a time when its politicians were struggling to formulate a national concensus around the issue of immigration.
But the Messi case does not fall into this category. Messi speaks like an Argentine and in his country and among his Barca team mates the term ‘Hola Negro’ is an Argentine not Spanish phrase- a term of endearment not abuse exchanged by citizens of every colour one finds in South America, unless you are blond and pink.
The Sun’s evidence of racism involving Messi is very thin indeed. Its story unjustly tarnishes the reputation of one of the great players of all time whose conduct on and off the field has proved exemplary- but for his occasional loss of temper, very rare diving, and a short period pre-Guardiola when, as I have also related in my book, he was reprimanded for partying too much with Ronaldinho and Deco- two of his best mates at the time.
Lets face it Jimmy, these days its not Politically Correct to use the term “Negro” or “Black”. Just ask Suarez or Terry, who in the heat of the moment used the term and are now paying a high price for it. And yes, the Premier is different form the La Liga, so the booing of black English players in the Bernabeau, Aragones using the term to motivate players, or Messi provoking Drenthe in the heat of the Classicos in the Camp Nou, all are considered acceptable – for the moment – by the Spanish media and much of Spain. Messi, Terry, Suarez, all committed a PC crime, and the only diference is that it gets punished in the UK.
Both of them is not good all together beuacse Messi cannot make the historical last world cup by lose Germany 4:0 and Neymar also cannot bring Brazil to top of Coca Cola world Ranking in FiFa. Both of them and many footballer around the world are need money too much by they only can play best in their club and they earn more money from club.but the Germany, Holland and Spain teams are the best footballer they can work as group and they help their nationality to the top of world Ranking in FiFa