Ron Atkinson - the former Manchester United manager and TV pudit, was profiled in a program on the BBC tonight.
Atkinson was fired from his job at ITV, where he was a football commentator/pundit, and he was also dismissed from the Guardian newspaper,
in April 2004.
(Atkinson claims he resigned both positions but I seem to recall he was effectively fired : but I may be wrong).
The reason why he is no longer employed is because he made racist comments about the French and Chelsea player, Marcel Desailly, who he called "a lazy F****** N*****"
(Desailly is black).
Atkinson's comments were picked up when he was commentating on the game and when assumed that his microphone was off (Chelsea were beaten that night by Monaco).
Atkinson has maintained that although his words were racist - he himself is not racist.
He cited the fact that as a former soccer team manager he was the first to recruit and select black players in the 1970's.
Atkinson publicly apologised for his comments to Desailly and has been persona non-grata ever since making those comments.
Is Big Ron a racist ?
Atkinson was fired from his job at ITV, where he was a football commentator/pundit, and he was also dismissed from the Guardian newspaper,
in April 2004.
(Atkinson claims he resigned both positions but I seem to recall he was effectively fired : but I may be wrong).
The reason why he is no longer employed is because he made racist comments about the French and Chelsea player, Marcel Desailly, who he called "a lazy F****** N*****"
(Desailly is black).
Atkinson's comments were picked up when he was commentating on the game and when assumed that his microphone was off (Chelsea were beaten that night by Monaco).
Atkinson has maintained that although his words were racist - he himself is not racist.
He cited the fact that as a former soccer team manager he was the first to recruit and select black players in the 1970's.
Atkinson publicly apologised for his comments to Desailly and has been persona non-grata ever since making those comments.
Is Big Ron a racist ?