They wouldn’t behave like that at work or in the street. Fans can’t go round going, “OK, I can do exactly what I want because I’m in a football ground.” That started changing.’ – Iffy Onuora WE WILL NEVER know how many footballers were lost to the game in the days before the authorities moved to impose sanctions for racist behaviour in the game, when issues of racism were scrutinised in far less detail than they are today. Amongst those who were lost, there may have been someone who was able to earn a decent living or someone else who could have developed into a superstar or perhaps become a British Mourinho or Guardiola. The case of Richie Moran is a case in point. It is unlikely Moran would have developed into a superstar but he could have been a club legend and might have earned a decent living from the game had it treated him with more dignity. Moran is an intelligent thinker, speaks several languages and is a passionate analyst of the game. He might have made an excellent manager but left the game because he was no longer prepared to put up with the racist attitudes of coaches and managers he worked with, and walked away before his professional career really got into its stride.
