"Is Ratcliffe simply a gutter racist or actually making a cynical political play that may redound to his benefit down the line when Britain faces down yet another period of political upheaval as the country's old factions continue to fracture? There's reasonable debate to be had there. There's also a good point about whether even engaging with this sordid rhetoric puts an unfair onus on immigrants by forcing them to tout their contributions and accomplishments and it, too, has been made."
"As far as soccer is concerned, however, the outcome of any of these discussions sort of doesn't matter. Neither does Ratcliffe's half-hearted walk-back of his comments in that actually-not-really-walking-it-back kind of way, doing the semantic I'm-sorry-if-you-were-offended non-apology. Nor does the swift backlash, or Manchester United distancing themselves from the words of the man ostensibly running the club. Because the upshot is the same. The sport has taken another long stride towards total Trumpism."
Sir Jim Ratcliffe asserted on Sky News that the UK is being colonized by immigrants, provoking debate over whether the comment was racist or a cynical political maneuver. Engaging with the rhetoric risks placing an unfair burden on immigrants to prove their contributions. His royal honorific and corporate power may foster a sense of being untouchable. For soccer, the specifics of the controversy are secondary; the sport continues moving toward overtly nationalist, Trump-like politics. Ratcliffe represents his petrochemicals and pollution empire as well as the privatized Manchester United. He has made controversial pronouncements before and still chose to broadcast these anti-immigrant remarks.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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