Pitch Black: The Story of Black British Footballers

by Emy Onuora

When Paul Canoville took to the pitch for Chelsea in 1982, he was prepared for abuse. When the monkey chanting and the banana throwing started, he wasn't surprised. He wasn't prepared, however, for the abuse to be coming from his own side. Canoville was the only member of the team whose name was booed instead of cheered, the only player whose kit wasn't sponsored. He received razor blades in the post. He took to waiting two or three hours to leave the ground after a match, fearing for his safety. So minimal was the presence of black players in the game, the few who managed to break through were subjected to the most graphic abuse from all sides. Today, 30 per cent of English professional footballers are black, and amongst their number are some of the biggest heroes of the beautiful game. But just how far have we come? With unprecedented access to current and former players ranging from Viv Anderson to Cyrille Regis to John Barnes, Emy Onuora charts the revolutionary changes that have taken place both on and off the pitch, and argues that the battleground has shifted from the stands to the board room. In this fascinating new book, Onuora critically scrutinises the attitudes of FIFA, the FA and the media over the last half-century, and asks what is being done to combat the subtler forms of racism that undeniably persist even today. Featuring startling revelations from all levels of the footballing fraternity, Pitch Black takes a frank and controversial look at the history of the world's most popular sport - and its future.

356 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 21, 2015

Reviews

[Colin Thomson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emy manages to portray so much from this book, and impressively does so at the perfect pace, meaning you're never left waiting for the next topic.
Yes, your focus is drawn to the abhorrent racism endured, and how it prevails today in more subtle forms within media, boardrooms and other structures. But that would be to shoehorn this book into one of just harrowing stories. It celebrates culture, tactics and sporting victories. It doesn't shy away from horrible terrace racism, while also exploring insidious stereotypes that to this day affect representation in coaching. As a white reader who's in his 20s, these sections were educating and (rightly) uncomfortable. However, as I said above, reading this also lead to pure joy. I learned about players I recognised from conversations with my dad, such as Regis, Anderson and Cunningham, while also getting a different, and more personable perspective on legends such as Wright and Barnes. All of this, along with brilliant descriptions of play styles, lead me to seeking out Premier League Years on Sky, to watch the seasons from the early and mid '90s.

I'd love to see a second edition of this book with chapters on the last 6 years and crucially, women's football. However the argument could of course be made that a separate entire book and Black Women's Footballers would be needed, which I'd be buying immediately.

Overall, a great mixture of informative, inspiring and celebratory

[Sam Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd been meaning to read this book for about two years and finally got down to doing so in light of recent instances of racist abuse directed towards Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Emy Onuora's book is like a football team battling against relegation; it has its shining moments, but is ultimately undone by its own mistakes. Onuora has taken on a huge task and he deserves applause for doing so. I can only hope that he'll return to the history of Black British footballers in the near future to reconsider and reevaluate the work that he's done in Pitch Black. This book offers a wide-ranging survey of Black footballers and the social conditions that served as the backdrop for their careers. Unfortunately, the book is weighed down by clunky writing and poor organization. Onuora is at his free-flowing best in the later chapters of the book, when he writes about the contradictions and complications of racism in English football in the 21st century. I hope that Emy Onuora's project, whenever it may arrive, will focus more on answering these questions, as opposed to attempting to summarize the trials and tribulations of countless players, as important a task as that may be.

[Mari C.L. Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

While at times transitioning sharply mid-chapter, in general I found this to be a detailed, well-written, and well-researched book. It’s conversational, and articulates well the wide-reaching impact of racism of all types on English football at all levels, both in terms of players, managers, and fans. Particularly astute at challenging self-satisfied notions of progress in the present day.

[Tolkien InMySleep · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched, well written ... but like so many sports books, it needed a more cohesive narrative. Events and people tend to jump around from chapter to chapter, and some passages and arguments are repeated several times. Not a bad book at all, but it could have been better.

[Justin Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10 - certainly an interesting insight especially about footballers of the previous generations which are less known to myself and others of the 20-30 age category. Did feel at times it was a little repetitive but really opened my eyes to the adversity faced by non-white football players