159 Quotes by John Barnes

Before we are footballers or fans, we are ordinary members of society. We are doctors, lawyers, milkmen, postmen, unemployed people, students... So why are they called racist football fans? Are they just racist for the 90 minutes of a match, when the other six days a week they're not?

African society and culture varies much more than European society but it's just considered 'Africa' as if they are all the same.

Yes, you have people shouting racist abuse and throwing bananas on the field, and there are issues regarding the number of black coaches and managers in the game, but which other industry allows a young black boy the exact same opportunity as a young white boy?

I give balanced, constructive views and what happens is that bits and pieces of what I say are used against me.

For a long time, images of black men with big lips and a round head were used to make us feel inferior, but it doesn't need to be like that, we don't need to self'loathe. We can change the narrative.

The simple fact is there are no laws you can pass to stop people racially abusing black footballers. So the solution is to come up with something that doesn't make people want to abuse black footballers in the first place.

I come from a very political and military family.

When you score a goal by dribbling you don't remember it because it is instinctive.

A white manager loses his job and gets another job, he loses his job, he gets another job. Very few black managers can lose their job and get another job.