Akinfenwa claims "Fleetwood representative" made racially insensitive comments

TangerinePeel

TangerinePeel

Well-known member
Here is what he posted to twitter
Eca_KHTWoAE7_qQ.jpg

Thoughts?

Water Buffalo could have potentially just have been a way to mock his size with no racial connotation intended. I imagine Fleetwood will have to perform an investigation/inquiry
 
TangerinePeel said:
Here is what he posted to twitter
View attachment 2128

Thoughts?

Water Buffalo could have potentially just have been a way to mock his size with no racial connotation intended. I imagine Fleetwood will have to perform an investigation/inquiry
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I'd imagine the board will split on seeing racial abuse and those who never see it in any scenario and then complain about it being political correctness gone mad.

Personally, I think in the current climate, it was very ill judged even if not racially founded and will lead to consequences.
 
Insider said:
If it hadn't been explained to me I certainly wouldn't have associated the term "Water Buffalo" with the colour of anyones skin.
Not condoning it but there's lots of "sledging" in football.
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I suppose if you're black then you're more attuned to insults that could be construed as racial abuse.
 
Wizaard said:
I'd imagine the board will split on seeing racial abuse and those who never see it in any scenario and then complain about it being political correctness gone mad.

Personally, I think in the current climate, it was very ill judged even if not racially founded and will lead to consequences.
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Yes, I agree with that. A stupid remark. Possibly one spouted on the point of defeat but it doesn't mean it's defendable.
 
Seriously? Can't understand how that can be construed as racist unless you're looking for it and decide thats how you want to interpret it?

Would it have been acceptable if whoever said it called him a 'Fat pig/hippo/rhino/elephant' instead of water buffalo?

If someone called him a 'Fat Monkey' then fair enough but 'Fat Water Buffalo', come on?
 
Water Buffalo is an odd choice of phrase leading me to think it was deliberately chosen as potentially being non-offensive. Therefore I think there was intent not to be openly offensive in a current climate way.

Maybe the player just wanted exposure in the media, perhaps?

No obvious reasons either way.
 
fcblackpool said:
Water Buffalo is an odd choice of phrase leading me to think it was deliberately chosen as potentially being non-offensive. Therefore I think there was intent not to be openly offensive in a current climate way.

Maybe the player just wanted exposure in the media, perhaps?

No obvious reasons either way.
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That would be fine except for it having been used previously as a racial slur.
 
Pauls_Boutique said:
If Akinfenwa believes it to be a racist remark then it is a racist remark, whether or not that was what was implied by the person who said it.
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That’s just post modernist nonsense, if I call him a green tree and he thinks that’s racist I’ve automatically made a racist comment and by implication I’m racist.

At least most of this thread is debating weather or not the comment was racially aggravated, but this is just ridiculous.
 
Rektseasider said:
That’s just post modernist nonsense, if I call him a green tree and he thinks that’s racist I’ve automatically made a racist comment and by implication I’m racist.

At least most of this thread is debating weather or not the comment was racially aggravated, but this is just ridiculous.
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I once played against a team from Preston. I was marking a tall skinny black guy. At half time our manager told me to ‘get tight to Chicken George’. He told the guy marking the tall skinny white guy on the other wing to ‘stay close to him, don’t let him take the ball past you’.
Nothing inherently racist in what he said to me, but certainly implied that the guy was ‘different’ in the words he used.

This is the whole arguement that white people are telling black people what is racist and what isn’t.
 
Before considering water buffalo the word “fat” was offensive. Having travelled extensively in Asia use of the expression “water buffalo “ most definitely would not be seen as a compliment. What is important is that a player, after a history of racism again him, sees it as a racist insult is the important consideration.
 
Pauls_Boutique said:
I once played against a team from Preston. I was marking a tall skinny black guy. At half time our manager told me to ‘get tight to Chicken George’. He told the guy marking the tall skinny white guy on the other wing to ‘stay close to him, don’t let him take the ball past you’.
Nothing inherently racist in what he said to me, but certainly implied in the words he used.
This is the whole arguement that white people are telling black people what is racist and what isn’t.
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I accept what you’ve said there and do agree it has some merit, but on the football pitch I’ve also heard “take the Ginger Cnut out” “get that lanky streak of piss” “Pass to the mick” All comments based on a persons outwards appearance.

But on the whole thats got nothing to do with your suggestion that as soon as a person deems something to be the case, in this situation a Racial slur, they have thought it therefore it is. No context or rational though or consideration behind the conclusion. It’s very dangerous.
There has to be a basis behind the thinking, If not it Is just a non entity.
 
Pauls_Boutique said:
I once played against a team from Preston. I was marking a tall skinny black guy. At half time our manager told me to ‘get tight to Chicken George’. He told the guy marking the tall skinny white guy on the other wing to ‘stay close to him, don’t let him take the ball past you’.
Nothing inherently racist in what he said to me, but certainly implied in the words he used.
This is the whole arguement that white people are telling black people what is racist and what isn’t.
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So your 'manager' called the black player...."Chicken George".....and you didn't see anything inherently racist in calling him after a slave character from Roots (The story of slavery and brutality by American settlers)......but he said of the white player..."stay close to him, don’t let him take the ball past you"

Am I mis-reading your post.....You seriously think "white people are telling black people what is racist and what isn’t"
 
Pauls_Boutique said:
I once played against a team from Preston. I was marking a tall skinny black guy. At half time our manager told me to ‘get tight to Chicken George’. He told the guy marking the tall skinny white guy on the other wing to ‘stay close to him, don’t let him take the ball past you’.
Nothing inherently racist in what he said to me, but certainly implied that the guy was ‘different’ in the words he used.

This is the whole arguement that white people are telling black people what is racist and what isn’t.
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Chicken George was a character in Roots of course.
 
Rektseasider said:
I accept what you’ve said there and do agree it has some merit, but on the football pitch I’ve also heard “take the Ginger Cnut out” “get that lanky streak of piss” “Pass to the mick” All comments based on a persons outwards appearance.

But on the whole thats got nothing to do with your suggestion that as soon as a person deems something to be the case, in this situation a Racial slur, they have thought it therefore it is. No context or rational though or consideration behind the conclusion. It’s very dangerous.
There has to be a basis behind the thinking, If not it Is just a non entity.
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Yeah I don’t disagree with those comments about other things said on the pitch. I’m sure I’ve said similar on the pitch (hopefully in youthful ignorance) in the heat of a game and gone home not giving any thought to how the person on the receiving end felt about it.

I think I’m trying to say that just because the person saying something doesn’t think it is offensive doesn’t mean that it isn’t. Akinfenwa must have been called this, or similar, before to call it out as racist.
 
B_Side_The_C_Side said:
So your 'manager' called the black player...."Chicken George".....and you didn't see anything inherently racist in calling him after a slave character from Roots (The story of slavery and brutality by American settlers)......but he said of the white player..."stay close to him, don’t let him take the ball past you"

Am I mis-reading your post.....You seriously think "white people are telling black people what is racist and what isn’t"
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I’ve never seen Roots, I was only 17 at the time of this incident.
 
Pauls_Boutique said:
Yeah I don’t disagree with those comments about other things said on the pitch. I’m sure I’ve said similar on the pitch (hopefully in youthful ignorance) in the heat of a game and gone home not giving any thought to how the person on the receiving end felt about it.

I think I’m trying to say that just because the person saying something doesn’t think it is offensive doesn’t mean that it isn’t. Akinfenwa must have been called this, or similar, before to call it out as racist.
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yes of course there can be racial ignorance I agree with you there, my point is there has to be a rational behind the comment for it to be racism, otherwise it could have a plethora of Intentions. I’m not sure I see it in this situation. But saying that I haven’t got enough information at had to make a decision one way or the other.
 
Some white people clearly have problems with a move towards racial equality. They can usually be identified on this board by comments such as ‘can we not say this then, can we not say that then’, including the use of the word that confuses them.

The very fact that even these people are now having to think about the rights and wrongs of what they are saying is, I think, a small victory for racial equality.
 
Recidivist3 said:
Some white people clearly have problems with a move towards racial equality. They can usually be identified on this board by comments such as ‘can we not say this then, can we not say that then’, including the use of the word that confuses them.

The very fact that even these people are now having to think about the rights and wrongs of what they are saying is, I think, a small victory for racial equality.
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The very use of water buffalo is a bit odd, don't you think? Why that particular analogy if there is no racist intent?
 
Rektseasider said:
That’s just post modernist nonsense, if I call him a green tree and he thinks that’s racist I’ve automatically made a racist comment and by implication I’m racist.

At least most of this thread is debating weather or not the comment was racially aggravated, but this is just ridiculous.
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Did you know that a recent study showed that commentators are more likely to call black players a green tree than white players
 
Akinfenwa is a big character and that's nothing to do with his weight. Watching the 2 matches he seemed more in control of team motivation than the Manager.
When we played them at Wycombe he never stopped chatting to Tilt on the touchline whilst they were "warming up".
He doesn't seem short of something to say and I'm sure he's used some choice phrases in matches in "discussions" with opposition players without complaints.
I think on this occasion he's being a bit of a snowflake.
 
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