As part of Black History Month, we are publishing a series of Q&As giving people from different parts of our club the opportunity to talk about their experiences of football, their relationship with Clapton Community FC, their own histories and identities, and what they would like to see from the club and from football more broadly.
Asantewaa Nisbeth has been playing football on and off for about 16 years. Santi joined Open Access, then the 11 a-side Development team and won the league with them, and then moved up to the Reserves team and celebrated another league title win.
When a club says it is “anti-racist”, what should that actually mean beyond putting out a statement or wearing a T-shirt?
Not showing any discrimination with the football chants or creating a lads’ culture and excluding players.
Do Black players and supporters sometimes feel pressure to let racist comments or behaviour go because they don’t want to be labelled as difficult?
Yes, I think so.
Is having Black players in a team enough to make a football club genuinely inclusive?
No, it’s not, but it’s a start.
Does football genuinely value Black culture, or does it sometimes value Black players while remaining uncomfortable with Black voices and politics?
I think it’s a mix of both, depending on who you talk to.
What does being a Black player at Clapton Community FC mean to you? Is the club genuinely different from other football clubs you’ve experienced?
I haven’t experienced any other club but the culture within the club is making me want to stay regardless of anyone’s background. I think I’ve found my people here.
Clapton Community FC talks a lot about community, equality and inclusion. Where do you think the club gets it right, and where could it do better?
The club gets it right with the cheap prices, the fact that the club is a community club and is community driven. The inclusion in the men’s teams, there are more Black faces in that side of the game but it isn’t anyone’s fault why there isn’t as many in the women’s side of the game. I believe the club is doing everything we want it to. That’s why we choose Clapton and we stay at Clapton.
Does Black History Month genuinely educate people, or can it sometimes become a month of well-meaning gestures before everything returns to normal in November?
It can do both as there are people out there that would love to learn and there are others that treat it like certain businesses do, concentrating on it for the whole month before returning back to normal.
How important is it for young Black footballers to see people who look like them in positions beyond the pitch?
I believe it’s very important, it’s always great to see someone that looks like you in different positions so you know that you could achieve that as well.
Can someone love football, support a club and still be part of a culture that excludes Black people?
Yes.
Is football genuinely prepared to listen to Black people when they say something uncomfortable, or only when they say something that makes everyone feel good?
I think parts of football are genuinely ready to listen, regardless of if it makes them uncomfortable. It could educate them and add to their knowledge.
What is something white football supporters genuinely don’t understand about being Black in football?
Coaches making digs. The banter may not just be banter and there could be underlying meanings or the fact that they’ve worked twice as hard to get to where they are and deserve to be there.
If you could change one thing about football’s relationship with Black people tomorrow, what would you change, and why?
If a Black player/ person of colour has a bad game they are suddenly not from the country that they are playing for. For example, the aftermath of Saka’s penalty miss and Jess Carter’s racist abuse.