MY CITY MY SHIRT

[City123]

Fantastic.

Poor response from the club though - https://bricksmagazine.co.uk/2020/11...m-in-football/

"Unfortunately, this celebration of the city’s diversity and beauty was not well-received by all. According to Ismail, they were refused the official support of Cardiff City, who told me that they dismissed their project as encouraging ‘reverse racism’ – a damning representation of the normalisation of racism within football, and within the wider society.

Incredibly inspired by this campaign, I spoke further with Yusuf Ismail regarding his inspiration behind this project and their experience with the Cardiff City Football Club.

Prishita: Why was it important for you to have the involvement of the Cardiff City club? Could you tell me more about your experience with them?

Yusuf: I thought it important to involve the Cardiff City Football Club because I felt they could use their platform to reach out to People of Colour in Cardiff. The relationship between the Cardiff BIPoC communities and Cardiff City is non-existent; our hope was to use this project as a real turning point in community relations.

Early on in the project, we were invited by the club for a meeting to discuss our project with their Community Engagement Manager. We showed her some portraits, some campaign imagery and some short films that we had created for the project. Even though she said she loved the work, she seemed confused about the intent behind our project and was worried that if the club was seen to support such a project, it could run the risk of alienating their existing fan base. She stated that it could even be perceived as “reverse racism” if preferential treatment was shown to BIPoC communities – a statement that left us extremely confused and upset that someone would hold such views. It’s attitudes like these that highlight the importance of our work. If anyone feels that making a space more inclusive is a problem, then it’s clear that they are the problem!"

[the other bob wilson]

Fantastic.

Poor response from the club though - https://bricksmagazine.co.uk/2020/11...m-in-football/

"Unfortunately, this celebration of the city’s diversity and beauty was not well-received by all. According to Ismail, they were refused the official support of Cardiff City, who told me that they dismissed their project as encouraging ‘reverse racism’ – a damning representation of the normalisation of racism within football, and within the wider society.

Incredibly inspired by this campaign, I spoke further with Yusuf Ismail regarding his inspiration behind this project and their experience with the Cardiff City Football Club.

Prishita: Why was it important for you to have the involvement of the Cardiff City club? Could you tell me more about your experience with them?

Yusuf: I thought it important to involve the Cardiff City Football Club because I felt they could use their platform to reach out to People of Colour in Cardiff. The relationship between the Cardiff BIPoC communities and Cardiff City is non-existent; our hope was to use this project as a real turning point in community relations.

Early on in the project, we were invited by the club for a meeting to discuss our project with their Community Engagement Manager. We showed her some portraits, some campaign imagery and some short films that we had created for the project. Even though she said she loved the work, she seemed confused about the intent behind our project and was worried that if the club was seen to support such a project, it could run the risk of alienating their existing fan base. She stated that it could even be perceived as “reverse racism” if preferential treatment was shown to BIPoC communities – a statement that left us extremely confused and upset that someone would hold such views. It’s attitudes like these that highlight the importance of our work. If anyone feels that making a space more inclusive is a problem, then it’s clear that they are the problem!"

Anyone feeling "alienated" by that portrait shouldn't be welcome at the club - on the face of it. this seems like a total misjudgement by City.

[splott parker]

Total gobbledegook from the club in that reply.

[Tuerto]

Someone else is doing the work that the club should've been doing years ago, all they have to do is throw their weight behind it, yet the club is worried that it might offend little old 'White Bloke', Me! Absolutely incredible. Disgrace, and a lack of understanding, and a huge opportunity missed. Email the club and complain if you disagree with them, the more people that do it, the better. This is where fans and the trust should put pressure on. Shame them.

[dml1954]

The keyboard warriors are back out again, having found something new to beat the club over the head with, now that the team and manager are doing better.

It is the clubs job to treat ALL groups of fans exactly the same and provide an enjoyable/inclusive experience to everyone, whatever their ethnicity or background, both on match days and elsewhere around the club. They can not prioritise one group over another. The single biggest reason why people of different ethnic backgrounds feel unable to attend matches and be part of the club as fans, is the way in which they are treated by other fans and the fact that they perceive that coming to the ground would not be an enjoyable experience and could even be dangerous. This is partly down to the reputation the club has, thanks to the hooligan element of fans during the 70’s and 80’s and early 90’s who were undoubtedly racist in their attitude and behaviour toward players, opposing fans but also our own fans. I have seen a number of posters on this board admit, with some pride, that they were part of these gangs in the past but now indicate that. they are ‘reformed characters’. These are the people that need criticising for causing the situation in the first place. I have no doubt that many of the ex hooligans have ingrained racist ideals which they keep suppressed and they are the ones that need re-educating. They now mainly resurface on social media, where they think they are safe, as their behaviour is no longer tolerated in the stadiums.

It is the fans attitude and behaviour that will change this situation, not anything that the club can do. It is up to all of us to encourage people to come and support the club and show them what an enjoyable and inclusive experience it can be. The club have done their bit by eradicating most anti social and racist behaviour from in and around the stadium, which is why most problems tend to be online or ‘face to face’ between people nowadays.

The work the club has done needs praising, not continual criticism and we need to look at ourselves as fans to help find the solution to this problem.

[lardy]

The keyboard warriors are back out again, having found something new to beat the club over the head with, now that the team and manager are doing better.

It is the clubs job to treat ALL groups of fans exactly the same and provide an enjoyable/inclusive experience to everyone, whatever their ethnicity or background, both on match days and elsewhere around the club. They can not prioritise one group over another. The single biggest reason why people of different ethnic backgrounds feel unable to attend matches and be part of the club as fans, is the way in which they are treated by other fans and the fact that they perceive that coming to the ground would not be an enjoyable experience and could even be dangerous. This is partly down to the reputation the club has, thanks to the hooligan element of fans during the 70’s and 80’s and early 90’s who were undoubtedly racist in their attitude and behaviour toward players, opposing fans but also our own fans. I have seen a number of posters on this board admit, with some pride, that they were part of these gangs in the past but now indicate that. they are ‘reformed characters’. These are the people that need criticising for causing the situation in the first place. I have no doubt that many of the ex hooligans have ingrained racist ideals which they keep suppressed and they are the ones that need re-educating. They now mainly resurface on social media, where they think they are safe, as their behaviour is no longer tolerated in the stadiums.

It is the fans attitude and behaviour that will change this situation, not anything that the club can do. It is up to all of us to encourage people to come and support the club and show them what an enjoyable and inclusive experience it can be. The club have done their bit by eradicating most anti social and racist behaviour from in and around the stadium, which is why most problems tend to be online or ‘face to face’ between people nowadays.

The work the club has done needs praising, not continual criticism and we need to look at ourselves as fans to help find the solution to this problem.

What did the fan who painted that do wrong?

[dml1954]

What did the fan who painted that do wrong?

Absolutely nothing.

[Croesy Blue]

It is the fans attitude and behaviour that will change this situation, not anything that the club can do. It is up to all of us to encourage people to come and support the club and show them what an enjoyable and inclusive experience it can be. The club have done their bit by eradicating most anti social and racist behaviour from in and around the stadium, which is why most problems tend to be online or ‘face to face’ between people nowadays.

The work the club has done needs praising, not continual criticism and we need to look at ourselves as fans to help find the solution to this problem.

Using phrases like reverse racism is what everyone has the biggest issue with and a high ranking person at the club saying that does the exact opposite of what you're saying has been done.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_racism

[The Lone Gunman]

The single biggest reason why people of different ethnic backgrounds feel unable to attend matches and be part of the club as fans, is the way in which they are treated by other fans and the fact that they perceive that coming to the ground would not be an enjoyable experience and could even be dangerous.

How do you know this to be a fact? What evidence do you have?

[dml1954]

How do you know this to be a fact? What evidence do you have?

Its not rocket science is it. Work it out yourself. In the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s I saw and heard disgraceful racist behaviour in our ground by our own fans against black players, fans of opposing teams and also our own fans from ethnic backgrounds, that on many occasions made me thoroughly ashamed to be a Cardiff City fan. The people who used to partake in this activity haven't miraculously gone away. A lot of them still attend games but have suppressed their natural urges to shout and sing racist or obscene things, due to the zero tolerance by the club and authorities of that kind of behaviour inside the grounds. That doesn't mean that they still don't believe they were in the right and wouldn't start up again given any encouragement. They carry on doing it anonymously anyway, hiding behind their keyboards on social media. It is hardly surprising that people from ethnic minority backgrounds have a deep distrust and are still reluctant to attend games.

[Citizen's Nephew]

What I didn't realise is that this project is even bigger than I thought. I posted photos of the street-art in Butetown but there are posters all over the city! I'm not kidding, this kind of publicity would cost a fortune if organised through a PR company.

I'm even more annoyed now. I haven't received any reply from the club yet. My other half is mailing everyone she can find a contact for as I'm doubtful many of the senior management team (or players) know/knew about this (which is ironic).

I can't believe we've scored such an own goal. It's enbarassing.

Here's a link to how big this is https://bricksmagazine.co.uk/2020/11...m-in-football/

For information re earlier discussion and poster's comments - here's a link to Cardiff City's Diversity & Equality page and on this page is a link to our Diversity & Equality policy https://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/club/diversity-equality

[City123]

What I didn't realise is that this project is even bigger than I thought. I posted photos of the street-art in Butetown but there are posters all over the city! I'm not kidding, this kind of publicity would cost a fortune if organised through a PR company.

I'm even more annoyed now. I haven't received any reply from the club yet. My other half is mailing everyone she can find a contact for as I'm doubtful many of the senior management team (or players) know/knew about this (which is ironic).

I can't believe we've scored such an own goal. It's enbarassing.

Here's a link to how big this is https://bricksmagazine.co.uk/2020/11...m-in-football/

For information re earlier discussion and poster's comments - here's a link to Cardiff City's Diversity & Equality page and on this page is a link to our Diversity & Equality policy https://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/club/diversity-equality

I can, the club are consistently good at being bad at marketing

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

What I didn't realise is that this project is even bigger than I thought. I posted photos of the street-art in Butetown but there are posters all over the city! I'm not kidding, this kind of publicity would cost a fortune if organised through a PR company.

I'm even more annoyed now. I haven't received any reply from the club yet. My other half is mailing everyone she can find a contact for as I'm doubtful many of the senior management team (or players) know/knew about this (which is ironic).

I can't believe we've scored such an own goal. It's enbarassing.

Here's a link to how big this is https://bricksmagazine.co.uk/2020/11...m-in-football/

For information re earlier discussion and poster's comments - here's a link to Cardiff City's Diversity & Equality page and on this page is a link to our Diversity & Equality policy https://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/club/diversity-equality

Have you got a e mail to where we can ask if the club can get on board with this fantastic project ?

If they just ignore us then we can at least say please drop that diversity statement, its complete bullshit

[Citizen's Nephew]

Have you got a e mail to where we can ask if the club can get on board with this fantastic project ?

If they just ignore us then we can at least say please drop that diversity statement, its complete bullshit

On this page Sludge are three relevant emails (I don't want to post them on here) - they're under:

Contact Us (which is a catch-all club email I've used previously and marked FAO insert name and title

Fan Engagement i.e. the Fan Engagement Officer (her name and email is there)

Community Foundation (their email is there too),

https://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/club/visit-contact-us

[Tuerto]

Total gobbledegook from the club in that reply.

Reverse Racism! Have the club looked at the demographic of our support?

[The Lone Gunman]

Anyone feeling "alienated" by that portrait shouldn't be welcome at the club - on the face of it. this seems like a total misjudgement by City.

As you're almost certainly already aware Paul, my partner did a lot of work with representatives of various minority groups from the local community during her time as the Trust's community officer, as did other members of the Trust board. City gave her a few free tickets to distribute to them, but that was about it. The club's staff and officials weren't ever interested in actually doing anything constructive themselves. That was back in 2011, so it looks like very little has changed during the last decade.

[Tuerto]

As you're almost certainly already aware Paul, my partner did a lot of work with representatives of various minority groups from the local community during her time as the Trust's community officer, as did other members of the Trust board. City gave her a few free tickets to distribute to them, but that was about it. The club's staff and officials weren't ever interested in actually doing anything constructive themselves. That was back in 2011, so it looks like very little has changed during the last decade.

No money in it.

[BLUETIT]

No money in it.

Didn't they send the painter back to Malaysia ? (chief scout or something, wasn't he )

[UNDERHILL1927]

As you're almost certainly already aware Paul, my partner did a lot of work with representatives of various minority groups from the local community during her time as the Trust's community officer, as did other members of the Trust board. City gave her a few free tickets to distribute to them, but that was about it. The club's staff and officials weren't ever interested in actually doing anything constructive themselves. That was back in 2011, so it looks like very little has changed during the last decade.

Really disappointing to hear this

[Tuerto]

Anyone feeling "alienated" by that portrait shouldn't be welcome at the club - on the face of it. this seems like a total misjudgement by City.

There's a bit of a political edge to it, There's going to be, that's why racism exists. As usual, 'football' shits out because they don't want to upset things. Wear a T-shirt, rainbow laces etc, that's fine. Get fans involved, the community, speak to the people in directly effects, not some suit or someone on the pay roll and the club bottles it. Shithouses.

[NYCBlue]

Anyone feeling "alienated" by that portrait shouldn't be welcome at the club - on the face of it. this seems like a total misjudgement by City.

Again.

[surge]

Fantastic.

Poor response from the club though - https://bricksmagazine.co.uk/2020/11...m-in-football/

.....

Early on in the project, we were invited by the club for a meeting to discuss our project with their Community Engagement Manager. We showed her some portraits, some campaign imagery and some short films that we had created for the project. Even though she said she loved the work, she seemed confused about the intent behind our project and was worried that if the club was seen to support such a project, it could run the risk of alienating their existing fan base. She stated that it could even be perceived as “reverse racism” if preferential treatment was shown to BIPoC communities – a statement that left us extremely confused and upset that someone would hold such views. It’s attitudes like these that highlight the importance of our work. If anyone feels that making a space more inclusive is a problem, then it’s clear that they are the problem!"

While I'm glad it's been fan lead, it's rubbish that the club can't see the worth in doing it. A marketing team would surely be interested in why such a diverse City has not successfully attracted fans from all sections of our community and want to rectify that.

Choosing not to boldly oppose racism is a political message in itself. I wonder if that's what the club wanted to go for?

[City123]

While I'm glad it's been fan lead, it's rubbish that the club can't see the worth in doing it. A marketing team would surely be interested in why such a diverse City has not successfully attracted fans from all sections of our community and want to rectify that.

Choosing not to boldly oppose racism is a political message in itself. I wonder if that's what the club wanted to go for?

Cardiff City continuing their commitment to being utterly shit at any kind of marketing/fan engagement. It didn't surprise me that the club didn't get behind it, though the language did surprise me

The marketing at the club has been really shoddy for ages, its a big city with a large potential fanbase but they just don't seem interested in tapping into it. Bizarre.