As a child of Jamaican immigrants, Macka B has seen his share of racism in the United Kingdom, especially in the 1970’s when that country was still coming to grips with migration from the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.
Many people consider the UK the ultimate melting pot, but discrimination still exists and some of it takes place on the football field. Macka B rails against prejudice in the country’s most popular sport with Kick Racism Out of Football, his latest song.
The song was inspired in part by an incident involving Manchester City striker Raheem Sterling last December while playing at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea’s home ground. Sterling, who was born in Jamaica and represents England, was abused by home fans.
“The Raheem Sterling incident was not that surprising due to the fact that these kinds of incidents keep happening every now and again, right down to the grassroots level. And the way he was portrayed by the media didn’t help,” said Macka B.
Sterling hit out against his treatment at Stamford Bridge, and noted that such action was not unique for players of color. He was also critical about the way black players are portrayed in British media.
In Kick Racism Out of Football, Macka B recalls the achievements of pioneer black players like Clyde Best of Bermuda, who was a striker during the 1970’s for West Ham United in what was then English Division One. While he does not support a particular team, he does have affinity for Wolverhampton Wanderers, his hometown team, which plays in the English Premier League.
According to Macka B, racism is not limited to the British game.
“Sometimes in Europe, it’s even worse. Only last month, Juventus’ forward Moise Kean (born in Italy to African parents) suffered racist abuse from the stands and the Italian FA didn’t do anything about it,” he said. “They said the chants had ‘an objectively limited relevance. In other words, they didn’t care.”
Macka B is a veteran of British reggae whose songs, including Never Played A 45 and Long Time Rasta Tell Dem, have earned him a following in Jamaica. He performed there at the 2016 Rebel Salute. Reply Reply All Forward
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