The level of abuse reaches a point where @MicahRichards powerfully responds on air to racists trying to claim he’s not on air for his football knowledge & experience pic.twitter.com/AhUaSWKjlY
— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) September 21, 2020
Micah Richards is trending on Twitter again, and once again it’s not for the right reason; the right reason is, he’s the most refreshing new mainstream football pundit to hit our screens in a long time, probably since Gary Neville brought a more in-depth approach to the job. Richards is articulate, witty, goofy, self-deprecating, and knows his stuff – he’s genuinely watchable. He fills a studio like he fills a suit. He also brings out the best in the broadcasters around him. I mean, Christ, are we all happy to suffer the likes of Danny Murphy and Martin Keown drying paint until the end of time?
So let him get on with it, instead of forcing him to defend himself live on TV just because a bunch of Twitter morons say the only reason why he works in the media is because he is black, i.e. it’s a “box-ticking” exercise. People who use the phrase “box-ticking” in this context often seem to have a British flag in their profile, or they might have used the #AllLivesMatter hashtag without realising how despicably stupid it is. The clues are there, and let’s not hide behind euphemisms: in many cases, these people are racists.
Something very wrong when Micah Richards has to defend himself just for having a job. He's a very good pundit and broadcaster. BUT he shouldn't have to be. Even if he was rubbish, as pundits have often been, should not have to be x10 to be accepted on screen
— Barney Ronay (@barneyronay) September 22, 2020
Ronay is absolutely right here. Literally thousands of ex-pros-turned-pundits have been given air-time over the years, and the majority of them have been mediocre at best. Many have been abject – but how many have had to defend themselves in this way?
I don’t want to hear Richards talking about race, I want to hear him talking about football. I want to hear him laugh raucously, or get one over on Roy Keane…
🗣️ Micah Richards: "I burst onto the scene"
🗣️ Roy Keane: "Did you burst onto the scene?"
🗣️ Micah Richards: "I played for England at 18, youngest ever defender to play for England. I would say that's bursting onto the scene!"
Fair play Micah Richards! 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/pDP7A5kfvJ
— Soccer AM (@SoccerAM) March 8, 2020