Free Speech: The FA Wants Malky Mackay Charged With Thought Crimes
Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay with player recruitment staff member Iain Moody (left) before the game
EAT your heart out Ched Evans, writing in the Telegraph Jason Burt turns his gaze on Malky Mackay, the former Cardiff City manger whose offensive private emails became a public stick with which to beat him.
It was alleged Mackay shared racist, homophobic and misoynistic texts with former Cardiff colleague Iain Moody, who resigned his position as Crystal Palace sporting director shortly after the messages came to light.
Let’s look again at what was found:
“Go on, fat Phil. Nothing like a Jew that sees money slipping through his fingers.” On football agent Phil Smith.
“He’s a snake, a gay snake. Not to be trusted.” Referring to an official at another club.
“Not many white faces amongst that lot but worth considering.” Referring to a list of potential signings.
“I bet you’d love a bounce on her falsies”
Crystal Palace decided not to appoint the ex-Cardiff manager.
FA chairman Greg Dyke said at the time:
“The FA does not as a matter of policy consider private communications sent with a legitimate expectation of privacy to amount to professional misconduct.”
So. To Burt who writes beneath the headline”Dyke desperate to punish Mackay”
Malky Mackay remains the front-runner to become the new manager of Wigan Athletic – partly because there is an expectation, first reported by Telegraph Sport, that he will escape punishment for the sexist, racist and homophobic texts and email messages he and his former head of recruitment Iain Moody sent while the pair worked at Cardiff City.
What punishment is fitting for Mackay being exposed as a pillock?
The revelations scuppered Mackay’s chances of becoming the Crystal Palace manager and let to an investigation by the Football Association which is yet to be concluded. The problem the FA have is that it has followed an unofficial policy of not prosecuting when such communications remain private. That needs to be changed.
Prosecute him for what? His name is already sullied. We know he’s an idiot. He’s apologised. Job done.
However, such has been the outcry since our revelations that a charge cannot be pursued, the FA is now re-examining, yet again, whether proceedings can be taken. It is understood chairman Greg Dyke, in particular, is keen to pursue every avenue and will, at the very least, demand a change in policy. But charges have not been ruled out.
So. The outcry dictates the punishment.
It’s like convicted rapist Ched Evens, whose ability to play again for Sheffield United – or indeed for any football club – is being challenged by people who wants not justice but revenge. The mantra goes that male football fans are so stupid they will look at Evans and decide that rape is ok. Evans, you see, is billed as role model, a person who has has more influence on young male minds that fathers, mothers and siblings. Evans never signed up to be role model. The elite just decides he should be one. Mackay is one, too. It never mentions ‘role model’ on the contract footballers and managers sign.
Mackay’s treatment also has echoes of Liam Stacey, the mentally negligible tweeter sentenced to 56 days chokey for racist comments aimed at a critically ill black footballer. Stacey’s tweets to his 300 followers were amplified by the outraged.
At Swansea Magistrates Court, District Judge John Charles told Stacey:
“It was racist abuse via a social networking site instigated as a result of a vile and abhorrent comment about a young footballer who was fighting for his life. At the moment not just the footballer’s family, not just the footballing world but the whole world were literally praying for his life. Your comments aggravated this situation. I have no choice but to impost an immediate custodial sentence to reflect the public outrage at what you have done.”
It was the outraged public that saw him jailed. We were outraged when Emma West was threatwned with rape and murder on twitter. But we never narked her poison-tweet-writers to the police. Emma West, of course, was the ‘racist tram lady’, so the police never chased her attackers. Free speech is only for people the State agrees with.
The enlightened illiberal mob and police force reasoned that a failure to punish Stacey would trigger a race riot and, vitally, make them look bad. So, likewise, Mackay must be removed from decent society.
Burt has opined that the texts show “a distasteful sub-culture of bigotry and insularity” in football. He thinks Mackay “can never manage a football club again”.
Kick it Out chairman Lord Ouseley said: “These revelations are further confirmation of how football is tainted with racism, sexism, homophobia and anti-Semitism… [a] culture which continues to exist throughout the game and in society as a whole… It’s easy to present yourself as being reasonable and fair, and to behave in ways that hide prejudice and bias. However, any in-depth forensic examination or analysis of hidden views would be likely to reveal otherwise. That is what makes it difficult to eliminate and eradicate such prejudices, bigotry and even hatred.”
We are all secret bigots?
Stan Collymore said it was “institutional acceptance of the ‘banter’ of casual racism“.
To us it looked a couple of fools talking utter drivel to each other in private. Do we all need to watch what we say in private lest it be removed from context and used to end our careers and reputations? When you let off steam at home, or make an off-the-cuff remark to a mate would you like it to be recorded and played in the public sphere? You might not have meant it, but now that it’s out there, it defines you.
Did you blanche when the Washington Post wrote: “If you don’t want your words broadcast in the public square, don’t say them… Such potential exposure forces us to more carefully select our words and edit our thoughts.”
We should all live in fear? We should never relax? We should be guarded? Wow, indeed. Your private thoughts are being policed by people who have decided what is acceptable..
We stand with Thomas Hobbes, who wrote:
‘The secret thoughts of a man run over all things, holy, profane, clean, obscene, grave and light, without shame, or blame; which verball discourse cannot do, farther than the judgement shall approve of the time, place and persons.’
Think what you like. For now…
Posted: 17th, November 2014 | In: Key Posts, Reviews, Sports Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
