Sol Bamba urges Harry Kane to lead from front in English football's George Floyd protests
EXCLUSIVE: Tottenham and England captain Kane called last year for tougher punishments for racism in football and Sol Bamba has urged him to lead the way again
By Darren Lewis
Friday 5th June 2020
Cardiff defender Sol Bamba has called on Harry Kane to lead from the front on English football’s George Floyd protests.
The England captain called last year for tougher punishments for racism in football.
Bamba believes Spurs striker Kane should now show similar leadership after Jadon Sancho and Rhian Brewster defiantly spoke out against the treatment of black men on both sides of the Atlantic.
SOL BAMBA:
Bamba said: “I think the England captain, Harry Kane, could come out and talk. He would touch more people who would respond.
“We know what Harry is like. A lot of people look up to him and if he says something that will make them think. An average white guy who doesn’t think racism is that bad an issue, if Harry Kane says something, maybe he is going sit down and think: ‘Maybe it does exist.’
“He’s the England captain, he plays with a lot of black people in the team. I feel like some people have a responsibility to come out and make things change.”
Despite some players speaking out on the issue, Bamba fears many Premier League stars are afraid to add their voices for a variety of reasons.
Speaking to The Conv3rsation podcast he added: “Unfortunately the world we live in now is all about the image.
“On social media, with sponsors and so on. So a lot of players don’t want to get involved in issues like this. They don’t want to get in trouble, if you like, by speaking out.
“But the issue is bigger than me. It’s about our children. Our grandchildren. Forget about fans not liking you or saying bad comments. If you think like that, things are never going to change. If men like Martin Luther King didn’t speak out for our rights we wouldn’t be where we are now. So I do think you have to look at the bigger picture.
“If you see something happening and it is plainly obvious that there is an injustice, it has to drive you crazy and you have to respond. You’re talking about millions of people around the world. You’re talking about your family or your future family.”
Bamba also believes the slogans and messages, such as those posted on #blackoutTuesday will only have a real impact in football if there is zero tolerance on racism.
The current campaign has seen yet another spate of incidents which have left players disillusioned at the game’s inability to protect them.
Bamba went on: “The message has to be stronger in this country. When someone does something wrong, that is racist, it has to be punished properly. Because people get away with it.
“If you think that whatever you do, you are going to get away with it, you are going to keep doing it and until we get to the bottom of it there will always be a problem.
“We only have six black managers. Come on! Surely we are capable of doing better than six black managers in the whole country. But people look at us and think: ‘You’re athletic and you’re strong.’ We can do better than that.
“Don’t keep associating players with power and strength.”
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