‘Much healthier than white bread’, he said. Mark Walters suffered some of the most blatant racist abuse a footballer has experienced in Britain and none of his team-mates mentioned it. “It crossed my mind when you’re seeing darts a metre from your feet and golf balls you think: Is my health worth this, just for a game of football? The darts, though, they worried me. Like all professionals, he was focused solely on the game and swinging in the best cross he could to give his team-mates. That was about the extent of sports science in them days.”. MARK WALTERS knew he couldn’t walk off. I remember trying to take a corner and I’m being pelted with abuse, coins, fruit, all sorts. I accept that just because you were a good player doesn’t mean you’re going to be a good coach. If the answer is yes it won’t be happening in football.”. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here. Paul Elliott also suffered similar racist incidents. Football may provide a platform for abuse but it also offers an avenue to a more tolerant and equal society. The majority are fondly remembered by Walters, though. In forcing Scotland to confront latent racial prejudices 20 years ago, Walters made life at least a little easier for the black players who … Euro 2021 TV schedule: how to watch every match of the tournament live, Euro 2021 groups, teams and pool guide for the postponed 2020 tournament. “Whatever the justification, if you fought back you’d be reckoned a problem. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. Are you sure you want to delete this comment? Now, I believe it could be really helpful. Mark Walters hopes that opening up about racism he faced and child abuse that affected friends can help kids overcome their own hurdles. But there is one area of football he is particularly relieved to see change: the public displays of racism which tainted his early days in the game. “Football has always been a game of not what you know but who you know. “It wasn’t nice but my drive was so high nothing would have stopped me from playing anyway, whatever they would have done I would have kept playing. The battle against racism in society, and not just football, is being won but the fight will continue to be fought by the likes of Walters and former team-mate Mark Hateley. Rangers hero Mark Walters recalls Scottish football's racist shame as he tackles society's scourge at Ibrox. Inevitably, they didn’t get on in the game. You need to be a subscriber to join the conversation. But he found his advance up the ladder stymied. He was subjected to monkey chants and fruit-throwing on his debut at Celtic Park, and was hit with a banana at Tynecastle weeks later. He’d have probably got arrested in today’s game.”. The event at Ibrox was another positive stride forward in the fight against racism but it was at the same venue a couple of weeks ago where a step back was sadly taken. Never mind the fact he had played at the top level for so long and was capped by his country, he found less-qualified coaches promoted ahead of him. “I remember in the Seventies coming as a kid to Villa Park and seeing Cyrille play for West Brom and a section of the fans were giving him terrible abuse, the kind of stuff I wouldn’t want my mum to hear. pic.twitter.com/GTsgxFHpUX It is not new; Mark Walters infamously had a banana thrown at him as a welcome to his first Old Firm game. See readers letter at bottom of page. Comments [2] Digg it! “At Aston villa I didn’t let my family go to some of the games because I knew in certain matches I was going to be abused so I’m forever grateful to Rangers for making my life here a lot easier than it could have been.”. They’d get into fights. “It’s hard to know if it was prejudice or not. Seen this on Twitter, it appears that Mark Walters being racially abused by Tims on his Rangers debut was not the first time it happened to him at Parkhead, Elliot the liar probably played that day as well. Of course it crosses your mind. What was only his second match for Rangers, playing against Hearts at Tynecastle in August 1987, was a particularly fraught experience. “I came 30 years ago and we are still talking about it now,” Walters said. By But his experience has led to him becoming an advocate of introducing into the game something akin to the Rooney Rule, the insistence in American football that every time a coach is appointed, team owners have to consider a BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) candidate. More on Sportsound on BBC Radio Scotland on Thursday from 6:30pm. I ain’t going to lie: it was shocking.”. That was how he had sought to overcome abuse throughout his career: shrug and get on with playing. “Bananas are raining in on Walters.” On 31st December 1987, Mark Walters signed for Rangers FC . That was the only way I could deal with it: laugh about it.”. He was joined by Hateley, Richard Gough, Gary McSwegan and Derek Ferguson yesterday at a Show Racisim the Red Card workshop at Ibrox. “I don’t know where that one came from. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . Let us give hope today † Thanks for watching. ... and was hit with a banana at Tynecastle weeks later. “There were some horrendous tackles in my time. “The way forward is education with. Walters writes, “Here I was again, brought back unexpectedly by an extinction that seemed a metaphor for the changed landscape that surrounded me. In forcing Scotland to confront latent racial prejudices 20 years ago, Walters made life at least a little easier for the black players who followed him within these borders. “Things have come on tremendously well since my time. Walters would leave Ibrox in the summer in 1991 for Liverpool and he went on to play for Southampton, Swindon and Bristol Rovers. “At the time I was so single minded and the way I’ve been brought up - not only did I have to play as well as anyone else, but I had to play twice as well as anyone else because that’s the way things were, if you succumbed to it. It was his most successful period as a player, but Mark had to endure racist abuse from Scottish football fans. Euro 2021 final: What date is it, what time is kick-off and how can I watch? He was the sort of player who kicked anything with a heartbeat. “I never had any problems in the street. His legacy off the pitch is just as important as that on it, though. How Trent Alexander-Arnold really reacted to his England snub - and why Liverpool never doubted him. News Opinion Columnists Bill Jamieson: Everyone's forced to hedge their bets in the paradox economy Here is a tale of two economies. Any of youse there? Christopher Jack. Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. England Euro 2021 squad: when will Gareth Southgate announce his team? Monkey chants greeted Walters when he touched the ball and bananas were thrown from the stands but the Englishman somehow rose above the mindless and the moronic in green and maroon. Reading the feature about Archie MacPherson on the BBC website, and there's a picture of Archie holding a banana, but it's the caption that jumps out - "Archie with the banana which had been thrown at Rangers player Mark Walters in 1987" "The Banana" would suggest that it was only one that was thrown at Mark Walters, rather than the dozens, if not hundreds, that … “If you’d have asked me at the beginning of my coaching career whether I believed in the Rooney Rule, I’d have said no. “People think it is ok to shout racist and homophobic abuse and we have to make them realise it is unacceptable. Mark Walters (right) was with Rangers for four years. We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments. Walters began his career as an apprentice at Aston Villa on leaving school in the summer of 1980, turning the professional a year later – just after Villa's Football League First Division title triumph – and made his competitive debut on 28 April 1982 in a 4–1 league defeat at home to Leeds United, two months after the departure of manager Ron Saunders – who had given Walters his first professional contract – and the promotion of assistant Tony Bartonto the manager's seat. It was not just the vocal disparagement. Find out more, The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. Mark Everton Walters (born 2 June 1964) is an English former professional footballer who played as a Midfielder from 1981 to 2002. “That said, if someone said you can be England manager next month, I’d be straight down to Wembley.” His first intervention, no doubt, to ensure the players’ canteen was properly stocked with brown bread. Who were the los For this one, author Mark Jerome Walters returns to his homeland in eastern Florida: Merritt Island and the marshlands of the St. John’s, Banana and … But if he has to see the black lad, he might stick in his mind. Two Rangers fans were captured on film making monkey gestures at Celtic star Scott Sinclair during the Old Firm clash as they embarrassed themselves and tarnished their club. His time at Rangers will be remembered, both by him and the Ibrox fans who took him to their hearts, for a mixture of reasons. – so why are so few managers? ... and was hit with a banana at Tynecastle weeks later. I thought the best way to deal with it was to laugh about it and eventually it will subside.”. In the three decades that have elapsed, the racist minority has become even smaller and less vocal as the positive messages have offered strength and hope for the future. “They’d say to me, ‘You’re not used to this weather, are you?’ I’d be thinking, hang on, I was born in Handsworth. His role model in facing down such nonsense was Cyrille Regis. For all his calm, unflustered demeanour, decades on from those dark times, Walters, 54, is not sure the battle against prejudice has been yet entirely won. Mark Walters […] He notably played for Liverpool, Rangers and Aston Villa, and later went on to play for Stoke City, Wolverhampton … Rangers hero Mark Walters recalls bananas thrown from the stands in shameful display as he tackles racism at Ibrox By Christopher Jack Rangers hero Mark Walters recalls Scottish football's racist shame as he tackles society's scourge at Ibrox MARK WALTERS knew he couldn’t walk off. “I didn’t want to be blinded but the club assured me they would do something about it and they did and I’m forever grateful to them for that.”. Mark Walters: 'They threw all sorts - bananas, a pig's trotter but the darts worried me' Save Mark Walters recalls the abuse he suffered as a … Makes you think.”. In the first, there's record numbers of … Paul Elliott also suffered similar racist incidents. I had friends who couldn’t, though. photo host I wasn’t there that day. And the prejudice was routine, even if much of it was unintentional. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. Read our community guidelines in full, The latest offers and discount codes from popular brands on Telegraph Voucher Codes, Mark Walters recalls the abuse he suffered as a player and says that prejudice is still rife in boardrooms, Jim White meets Mark Walters where it all started for the winger - at Villa Park, Walters won two League Cups and three titles in his three years at Ibrox, Walters poses with Michael Thomas and the trophy as John Barnes looks on after winning the League Cup at Wembley in 1995, Walters looked up to Cyrille Regis and the way he dealt with disgusting abuse with such poise, playing for a junior team under the auspices of a notorious paedophile coach, Manchester United vs Fulham: Premier League, live score and latest updates, England's Euro 2021 fixtures, kick-off times and latest team news, Euro 2021 fixtures: match dates, kick-off times and group-stage schedule. Solutions? ©Copyright 2001-2021. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. We urge you to turn off your ad blocker for The Telegraph website so that you can continue to access our quality content in the future. Mark Walters Published: June 29, 2011 Posted in: Interviews, News. “It seemed like the whole stadium was giving it to you. “It was very disappointing, I’m not going to lie,” Walters said. Euro 2021 host cities: Wembley given extra game but Dublin has been dropped, Welcome to the Europa Conference League - the new competition that awaits one Premier League team. Walte… Had I done that 30 years ago I would have been told I had a chip on my shoulder or didn’t have enough bottle to handle it. 5-0 to the Bhoys. When he retired from the professional game after leaving Bristol Rovers in 2002, he actively pursued a career in coaching. 0. Always your fault. “Rangers fans treated me fantastically. The Mark Walters banana incident was forever to our shame. Not least because, as a jet-heeled, elusive, two-footed forward, he reckons he would thrive under the protection afforded by the modern rule book. It’s not a nice thing to be abused - I don’t care who you are or how hardened you are - but hopefully now all the stuff that goes on, people know it’s illegal and they can’t do it anymore. “That stuck with me. It is a tale full of eye-opening moments, from his fraught relationship with his bigamist father, to playing for a junior team under the auspices of a notorious paedophile coach. Harry Kane's next club - where would Tottenham talisman fit in best? But it stuck with me. When I became a pro and had a choice of a short sleeve or long sleeve shirt, I’d always wear short sleeves to prove I could take the cold just as much as any Englishman.”. Euro 2021: What date does the tournament start, which teams have qualified and what are the latest odds? Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. I scuffed it. Now, he was naturally detested as an opponent, but his pigmentation didn’t come into it. His words about nothing being able to stop him playing for Rangers shows the character of the man. But he didn’t do an Eric Cantona, he seemed to ignore it. How he admits he would love the chance to play in today’s game of manicured playing surfaces and substantial pay cheques. “It’s passed me by, coaching. "Mark Walters was struck by a banana and no matter how you look at it, this is missile throwing," Hood said. "I’ve found out the boy who was singled out on television making those gestures wasn’t even supposed to be at the game - he borrowed a ticket, so who knows what his background is? “I remember Peter Withe telling me always to eat brown bread. Almost everything, he says, has changed since he made his debut at Villa Park in 1981. Walters was the first black footballer to play in Scotland for many decades and the racist abuse he suffered was so bad he almost quit immediately. He obtained his Uefa A Licence and worked in Aston Villa’s academy and then at the Football Association. Once again, the minority did the damage. It caused alarm because bananas, once common in British football – see John Barnes, Mark Walters etcetera – seemed to have faded into history. “Sulley Muntari walked off the field recently in Italy. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. SteveNaive 1 year ago I was there. He’d only been a Rangers player for a matter of weeks when he trotted over to take a corner in his team’s Scottish Premier League clash with the Hearts, at Tynecastle. LAST Sunday I wrote that it wasn’t too long ago that Rangers’ Mark Walters was subjected to banana skins and monkey chants and wrongly included Partick … He gave up coaching some eight years ago and these days his management skills are employed on the property portfolio in which he wisely invested while still a player. HP10 9TY | 01676637 | Registered in England & Wales. You’d have a chip on your shoulder. There was also a guy in a gorilla costume. Unfortunately.” He pauses for a moment. His presence in Scotland brought out the worst in some, though. He recalls the battery of missiles launched in his direction. For a start, in this era of carefully calibrated eating plans, he recalls that the only dietary advice he received as a young player was, to say the least, rudimentary. He is here to talk about his new autobiography Wingin’ It, covering his time with clubs such as Villa, Rangers and Liverpool, a career which spanned more than 650 games across 21 years. He made his debut in an Old Firm match 2 days later, a match noted for appalling racial abuse and the game having to be stopped to clear the banana’s Celtic fans hurled at Walters during the game- unbelievably nobody was ejected from the ground or … They were saying, ‘For eff’s sake, Mark, we paid all that money for you and you can’t even take a corner’. Off the mark. And when he sacks his mate after a year, he might remember the lad he saw in the interview process and think: ‘Yeah, he impressed me.’ Though he admits, even if it was introduced as imminently as he believes it should be, a football version of the Rooney Rule would be too late for him. It is not new; Mark Walters infamously had a banana thrown at him as a welcome to his first Old Firm game. “My problems were well documented but the club were fantastic and helped me get through it. I wanted to get there on my own merit, I didn’t want positive discrimination. Not long after the Mark Walters incident Rangers signed a defender called Basile Boli. It was just at stadiums when I first came here. Mark Walters (1991) Walters was a promising winger with Aston Vila when on New Years Eve 1987 he joined Rangers. What usually happens is the chairman gets his mate in. He remains a real staple of what can be achieved through inner strength and determination. The lads at half-time defused it a lot. “When the club got on to the authorities I didn’t have any more problems with it.”. I didn’t see any actually flying through the air, but I saw a lot of them stuck in the ground.” However much he tried to block it out, he admits the welcome adversely affected his performance. “I had all manner of things thrown at me, but that was 30 years ago and it’s against the law to do it now. Get involved with the news in your community, This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. A fortnight later at Tynecastle, the shameful acts were repeated. The highs – three Premier Division titles and two League Cups – showed the winger at his best. “Rangers were fantastic with me, not only in terms of helping me have a good career here but my family enjoyed the experience of coming here. As Mark Walters sits in Aston Villa’s players’ lounge, he looks around and says he simply does not recognise the place. He was determined to not walk away. “Rangers have always been at the forefront of making children aware of racism. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Statistics tell you there’s so many people of colour who are professional footballers – over 30 per cent, isn’t it? With its swanky upholstery, plush mahogany bar and the 3D action pictures on the wall, it is nothing like the basic, uninspiring room of his day. “I wasn’t expecting it,” he admits. “Bananas, darts, golf balls - I even remember a pig’s foot,” Walters said as he returned to Ibrox for a Show Racism the Red Card event yesterday. A Gannett Company. Follow your club now for first access to all our news, views and analysis. It all seemed so futile and helplessly inevitable. “They were the ones most documented, yes,” he said of those dark days at Parkhead and Tynecastle. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. His debut at Parkhead saw him subjected to some of the most appalling scenes of racist abuse ever seen in our game. If you had the Rooney Rule, a chairman doesn’t have to select the black candidate, he might still give the job to his mate. I think football reflects society and society rather than football is the problem. We rely on advertising to help fund our award-winning journalism. It is three decades since Walters was abused as he took his first steps in a successful Light Blues career. I saw a picture the other day of me leaping in the air to get out of the way of Roy Keane going right through the back of me. “They were throwing all sorts of stuff: the usual bananas, a pig’s trotter – that made me laugh, to be fair. He recalls how, as a young player trying to make his way in Birmingham, when the winter encroached, coaches would make derisory comments about his resistance to the cold. Roy Hodgson to leave Crystal Palace - farewell to a masterful manager, Harry Kane faces war with Daniel Levy as Tottenham refuse to sell, Why Harry Kane's bombshell request could be good news for England, England's Euro 2021 squad: Our verdict based on the latest Premier League action. Powered by Restream https://restream.io/ Like, Share, and Subscribe and help spread the Good news of God's love and grace across the internet. 33:years ago I witnessed an act of racism at a ground in Scotland when a banana was thrown in the direction of Mark Walters of Rangers Football Club , I didn’t know much about racism back then and didn’t think an individual would do such a vile act to a sportsman and player of colour out trying to play the sport he loved I didn’t like it then I hate it more now . “Football is a reflection of society and if you say to me will that not happen in society in 10 years’ time? I don’t think he even got a booking. At least in Britain, today there is none of the collective abuse he suffered when, 31 years ago, he became the first black footballer to play in the Scottish Premier League. Tomorrow, we need a big victory and a big score. Europa League final 2021, Man Utd vs Villarreal: What date is it, what time does it start and what TV channel is it on? ... you can absolutely appreciate and perhaps even adore the work of John Banana with his 2-minute animated fan film – hitting the web just in time for the 20th Anniversary of the Disney live action adaptation. “I wasn’t at my best that day. In the old Celtic end. Born in Orlando, Florida on June 4, 2007, Hannah B. Walters was fluent in four languages (English, Russian, Portuguese, and Burmese),... was an early fan of bacon and Trader Joe’s turkey jerky, and a connoisseur of caviar and blini in Kyrgyzstan, churrasco in Brazil, and peanut butter and banana ice cream in the tropics of Myanmar (which helped her cool down immensely). But he smiles that when it comes to the football passages, much of it must read like a historical document, memories from another era altogether. “It is disappointing I am still having to come here and do it but it has improved a lot since I was playing. His mentality helped him get through it and now he has seen attitudes change. Walters overcame racism during his younger days before it intensified when he moved from Aston Villa to Rangers in 1987. Mark Walters was not aware that he was the only black footballer in the Scottish Premier League when he signed for Rangers on New Year's Eve 1987.
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