LAST UPDATE | 22 Sep 2020
MICAH RICHARDS HAS spoken out against people who claim that the Black Lives Matter movement is the reason he receives punditry work, and insists that his colleague Alex Scott “is one of the best pundits I’ve ever worked with.”
Richards was speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football in response to QPR and Coventry City players deciding not to take a knee before their Championship clash. It was the first live game where players did not kneel before kick-off.
QPR’s Director of Football, Les Ferdinand, subsequently explained the reason behind this decision, saying that while taking the knee has been a powerful gesture, “we feel that impact has now been diluted.”
Richards understood Ferdinand’s position on the issue but feels that equality “is not going to happen overnight” and kneeling is “still the right thing to do” if it can help educate people about racial issues.
When asked if he feels attitudes towards his credibility as a pundit have changed on the back of the Black Lives Matter movements, Richards replied:
“Yeah, you know, I’ve got people on Twitter, I’ve got people on Instagram — ‘oh, Micah Richards [is] only on because of this Black Lives Matter movement’. But I’ve had conversations with corporations that I work for way before this and now I’m getting tarnished with the same brush — ‘oh, he’s only on because of Black Lives Matter.’
It’s disheartening for me because I put in the work. I work every single day at my craft. I’ve been a professional footballer, I’ve won a Premier League, I’ve played at the highest level, and I’m still getting stones thrown at me, you know what I mean?
“So if I’ve got to fly the flag, if people want to throw stones at me, I’ll happily take it. Because I know that I put in the work.”
He then went on to defend fellow pundit Alex Scott, who has long been subjected to online abuse on account of her gender.
“She’s absolutely incredible, one of the best I’ve ever worked with. It’s even worse for her because she’s a woman and she’s seen as black as well, which is double jeopardy.
She’s in a worse position. She’s honestly one of the best pundits I’ve ever worked with and all you see on Twitter and Instagram — ‘what is a woman doing working in men’s football? She doesn’t know.’
“She’s played how many times for England, she knows football inside out more than most people. And to see the abuse that she gets… just because someone’s left their job or not had their contracts renewed. It’s disheartening to see.”
You can listen to the full discussion here:
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