Pitch Black: The Story of Black British Footballers

(Hardback)

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Pitch Black is the story of British-born black footballers from the 1970s, when black footballers first came to prominence within the English game, to the present day, which sees them now make up some 30 per cent of English professional footballers. It tells the story of how profound changes in attitudes from UEFA, the FA and the media towards racism in the game came about, but does so, for the first time from the perspective of those who faced the poisonous stereotypes, the monkey chanting, the throwing of bananas, and the bullets in the post. Featuring interviews with over thirty current and former black footballers including Cyrille Regis, John Barnes, Ian Wright and Rio Ferdinand, Pitch Black is a compelling insight into the motivations, thoughts, ideas and experiences of black British footballers. The book charts the challenges faced historically by black footballers but also examines their changing roles in the game. Although largely free from systematic and routine racist abuse from the terraces, how are they now addressing more subtle and less overt manifestations of racismPitch Black is a frank, controversial and often highly critical appraisal of the response to racism by football authorities and the media. Sometimes light and humorous, but consistently thought-provoking, Pitch Black is sure to be an important and defining book on this subject.

Author Bio

Emy Onuora has an MA in Ethnic Studies and Race Relations from the University of Liverpool and has lectured extensively on issues of Race and Sport within higher education. He was co-editor of the Merseyside based football fanzine What's the Score and is the brother of former footballer, coach and Ethiopia national team manager, Iffy Onuora. He lives in Liverpool.