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By the time John Barnes came to Liverpool in 1987 from Watford, his talent propelled him straight into fans’ hearts.
But, in away games, the same sublime talent could attract abuse.
He recalls: “I would get racial abuse from fans at West Ham and Millwall before coming to Liverpool, that was an accepted part of life and of society and part of football. You just had to get on with it, that’s what we were told back then. It may have stopped people taking to me, but it couldn’t stop me playing or being successful as a footballer, because I could still score goals.
“I was a winger very similar to Howard,” he continues. “The stereotypical view of black players back then was that you could be wingers because you’re fast, you’re quick, you don’t have to think too much. Who I did feel sorry for was the black goalkeepers of that time or the black centre halves. Obviously they existed, but they were seen not to be good enough to play in professional ranks, because they were so-called positions of responsibility.”
Barnes countered racism by discarding it, stunningly demonstrated when a banana was thrown at him during an Everton game. He deftly backheeled it off the pitch.
“I couldn’t understand why that much was made of it because that had gone on for six years previously at Watford,” he recalls. “Much worse than that by the way, and no-one mentioned it.
“We’d go to Millwall or West Ham and there would be racist chants like ‘n-----, n-----’ and bananas on the field.
“Now that one banana came on and there were some racist chants about it by a few Everton fans – but I considered racists to be ignorant so it couldn’t affect me.”
He recognised the absurd double standards: “I knew if I played for West Ham they’d cheer me.”
“When John Barnes came to Liverpool,” attests Rogan, “you watched any remnants of racism at Liverpool die out.”
Barnes himself is reluctant to see himself as a role model. “Maybe”, he allows, “I broke down a few barriers with people thinking black players can play at the highest level. But I did what I did and I see myself as a normal person, as everybody should.”
DUTCH striker Ryan Babel feels nothing matters now on the pitch but talent.
“Always for black players it is a little bit difficult, you have to work a little bit harder than the rest,” he says. “These days . . . if you are good enough to play for Liverpool, you are good enough, and it’s not about your colour.”
But we can’t rest on our laurels.
“There’s overt racism and covert racism,” says Barnes. “As much as we want to talk about racist fans shouting racist abuse or throwing bananas on the field, and coming down hard on Macedonia, you still don’t have any managers,” says Barnes. “Is that racist? There’s obvious racism that you can prove and there’s racism that goes on in everyday life. I go sit to sit down in a press conference and I see no black journalists.
“Because it’s not obvious, we don’t believe there’s a problem, and that to me is the most dangerous form.”
Film tribute to the brave pioneers of Anfield
THE documentary From Gayle to Babel: The Black Contribution to LFC is "celebration and thanks" to the black community for the contribution to Liverpool, says the club’s diversity and inclusion officer, Rakesh Daryanani.
"One of the things we felt was needed on behalf of the club was more of a substantial link to the black and other ethnic communities of the city. The city’s annual Black History Month and 2008 were the ideal time to do it."
The 60-minute film forms a plank in LFC’s inclusion programme, which sees two specially recruited full-time Liverpool community coaches go into schools in Toxteth, Kensington, Dingle and Aigburth teaching football to youngsters.
The five-year project aims to extend the programme to teaching nutrition and fitness.
After its premiere at FACT on Monday evening, it will go out on LFCTV on Tuesday at 8.30pm, and following that will be available free online. For details, go to Liverpoolfc.tv
