By Andy Strouthous
December 3 2004

Yes you the reader voted Senor Shite Aragones the Arsenal Times Turd of the Month Award. You even forwent the pleasure of voting for Herbert Frandel the shite referee, and homer, at PSV.

 

 Pat yourselves on the back what a principled bunch you are, no not you who voted for Gray Neville, no time for tribal spite at a time like this.

 

When Aragones first called Henry a black shite Arsenal Times was the first fanzine to call for an apology, even though some Arsenal publications wanted to make cultural excuses for him. It was apparently not considered racist in Spain; cultural differences meant it was not serious.  Apparently that is not the view of black players in Spain who are sick and tired of the monkey chants.

 

Bolstered by his apologists and some of the Spanish press Aragones went on the offensive – England was the home of racism with its colonies and “hunting of blacks”. Now England has an awful colonial record, but Cortez did not go to South America on a cultural exchange visit, but all that is a diversion from the real issue.

 

It is now which is important. Yes there is still racism in the English game, and quite a lot of people are fighting against it (see the Kick It  Out link on the Arsenal Times Menu). Aragones in refusing to admit there is a problem has become part of the problem, and even a further cause. His prematch behaviour inspired the racists to come out of their sewers. It had repercussions in this country too, as a schoolteacher in the midlands was confronted with monkey chants by his class the next day.

 

The time for excuses is over Aragones, the only decent thing you can do now is to resign. And if you cannot do that, then the Spanish FA should sack you..