Liverpool Give Staff List Of Unacceptable Words In Fight Against Discrimination (Photo)

Alan Duffy

30th, July 2013

33 Comments

By Alan Duffy

Liverpool FC produce a document of unacceptable words/phrases

Liverpool have found themselves in the firing line in last year or so over both the apparently racist behaviour of striker Luis Suarez and the club’s public support for their player. However, behind the scenes, the club have been one of the most progressive and active in terms of making their club welcome to all strands of society, whatever their race, religion, gender or sexual preference.

I know a bit about this since I worked for quite some time with anti-homophobia in football organisation The Justin Campaign and their now high-profile Football v Homophobia campaign. In my time working in this field, Liverpool were one of the most receptive league clubs and one of the most eager to help.

Now, the Guardian have released a photo of a list of words and phrases deemed offensive by the club for its staff and it makes for quite an interesting read.

The guidelines have not been given to the players themselves, as they get their directives from the FA, but the staff who have received the guidelines are expected to enforce them on match-days at Anfield.

This list, particularly the inclusion of phrases such as ‘man up’ is sure to get a lot of the ‘political correctness gone mad’ crowd into a lather, but in my opinion, it’s about time sexism and misogyny were given the same kind of coverage and treatment as racism and homophobia.

Good on Liverpool, I say!

Photo: Guardian

Posted in Liverpool, Newsnow

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33 Comments

  1. carl says:

    I notice that insults for white people are still allowed though, what with honky and cracker both missing.

    They’ve also missed curry-muncher, spacker, mong, sausage jockey, shirtlifter, batty man, banana botherer, tinker, gypo (variation of gypsy I suppose) and the biggest insult of all, ‘Liverpool fan’. I’d hate to be called a one of those!

  2. Rob says:

    I second that Alan, good for them.

  3. Col says:

    Come on! This is ridiculous…is it even real?? “Don’t be a woman” is a banned phrase?? How insultingly condescending!

    Welcome to 2013…

    • Finn Meachem says:

      Well, actually, it’s considered hurtful to darker skinned people because it was used in public segregation signs and stuff like that in America.

  4. Jan says:

    English isn’t my mother tongue and I am wondering what’s wrong about “coloured”. Is it offensive to say “coloured people”?

  5. Alex says:

    I disagree with most of these, I think we should encourage these terms so people realize that they are just words, when you give them meaning in this way, you give players like Luis Suarez and various horrible fans weapons with which they can hurt other people.

  6. Si says:

    I trust that Liverpool will henceforth eject every fan that makes an “offensive” comment during a match, in which case Anfield will be empty in about three weeks.

  7. TravisKOP says:

    knob-jockey eh? haven’t heard that bantered about in awhile. Regardless this is a semi overreaction if you ask me. they should have sent out a memo that read: “dear staff, when associating yourself with the Liverpool Football Club we would like you to use your utmost common sense, thank you.”

    Seriously though I wouldn’t doubt if the collective starts to ban words like: twat, arse, knob, wanker etc. because people are griping about it involving “sexual themes.” what a bunch of cunts

  8. Zam says:

    Guess they won’t be putting any bids in for Lars or Sven Bender…

  9. RupertM says:

    I’m guessing this memo didn’t get sent to the “staff” who kick a ball, bite opponents and racially abuse other players then? (I didn’t know scousers even knew how to read)

  10. Rob says:

    “Come on! This is ridiculous…is it even real?? “Don’t be a woman” is a banned phrase?? How insultingly condescending!”

    Col, using this phrase as a way of putting down a man, is insulting to women. My wife, daughter, mum, or sister, aren’t best pleased when Suarez gets called a women for diving about and holding his shin when he hasn’t been touched.

  11. PoultryMonger says:

    That rules out a return to merseyside for good old twatfeatures Joey Barton. The mong who wrote this up left enough words out though.

  12. Fatfatuma says:

    Funny that the infamous “negrito” didn’t make the list.

  13. Pax Romana says:

    It’s about time. Bring on the age of the non descript homo sapiens I say…P.S. I didn’t mean to offend any none homonids who might be reading this.

  14. Dusty says:

    But… they’re like… all the best words… :(

  15. Jarren says:

    Doesn’t “That’s gay” actually mean “That’s a bit shit” (nothing to do with homosexuality at all)?

    • Roy says:

      People terming things as ‘gay’ in a derogatory context, such as the one you mention’, can be seen as offensive.

      I know that people use it, but why does “That’s gay” mean something is shit? Where did that particular reference come from? It more than likely came from someone using being gay as something that to put someone/something down with.

  16. alexei says:

    Handicapped? Is there something wrong with calling someone handicapped?

    • Roy says:

      It’s a bit of an antiquated term. Some people prefer to be called ‘disabled’ rather than handicapped.

  17. Herman says:

    Why is it unacceptabe to say coloured or handicapped?

  18. Aish says:

    What about the other definition of “gay”?

  19. Wilson says:

    Bender twins won’t be able to show up anywhere Liverpool now I guess?

  20. jon-ed says:

    I am 67 yrs of age ….and I must be honest I use the phrase …man up ..I use it in the context that I have always believed it meant..which is ..grow up… act your age ….in what way is …man up.. offensive …and to whom ?

  21. Mr. Chopper says:

    Well what the f*ck are we supposed to call Downing now if we can’t use the affectionate term “Downy”? Syndrome?

  22. James says:

    Well if this isn’t proof that Suarez is staying I don’t know what is. Both Negro and Nigrito have been left off!

    • Roy says:

      If you’d read the FA’s document on the Suarez case, you’d know why. ‘Nigrito’ isn’t even a word for a start…

  23. Patrick says:

    @Alan Duffy: “Good on Liverpool, I say!”
    Me: Good on you for the commentary, I say!!!! Cheers!

  24. Keyroz says:

    sadly alan duffy, i dont suppose the mail are gonna offer you a job after this outrage piece. you clearly aren’t a person connected in any emotional way to the beautiful game, but maybe are the sort of person who sobs when you accidently step on a snail, or gets flustered when talking to someone of a different ethnic background to yourself in the name of being inoffensive. If you can’t see that people like you make good as someone everyone can rebel against, with your higher morals and social preaching, then you’re as dumb as suarez… and anyway, how come fans can still call LFC fans scousers? Call me anything, but never call me that.

  25. Andrew says:

    I guess the away stand will empty out when my beloved Spurs roll into town, then.

    Yid Army!

  26. Tellitasitis says:

    Last weekend I went on a bender at the Gypsy Bar in Fairy Meadow. It’s bit of a walk, but on the way you cross this lovely dyke that retards the water from a rather large pond. Out the front, I saw a man up a pole next to the handicapped parking bay. I’m still no too sure what he was doing there. Anyway, inside Spics & Specs was on the tele. I ordered a nip of Rum and some vintage Coon cheese & crackers. I read the comics section of the paper & coloured in the cartoons as I usually do. Live entertainment for the night was a magician. He had a rabbit in a hat, then with a tap of his wand, poof, the rabbit was gone. The best part of the night was when I met a lady. She said she worked at ‘Princess Cruises’, so I told her I worked at ‘A Chink in the Armour’ metalwork shop. We had a lovely dance to ABBAs Dancing Queen, followed by Queens of the Stone age and Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody…am I in trouble?

  27. Jarren says:

    Actually just thought about the “spastic” one and remembered Ricky Gervais talking about it.

    For those who didn’t see it, the Spastics Society changed their name to Scope after the term Spastic became a derogatory term.

    Gervais joked that the new derogatory term would be “scopey”.

    Now, while I do think Gervais treads a very fine line between the “laughing WITH them” vs “laughing AT them” argument, he does have a point.

    Banning offensive terms just makes the idiots who use them more determined to use them.

    Anyone with common sense knows better, but sadly the people who do shout offensive words at people honestly will not care what bans are in place if they can find the right time to spew them from their mouths.

  28. Red_Devil says:

    Unfortunately I think this is all a cock up by the ownership to get new fans. If this gets enough attention, the American media will get a wind of it and maybe even discuss it, the owner is a smart one as he is probably trying to capture the market that is always trying to be politically correct and gets wound up about everything.

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