Clarke Carlisle HARDtalk

Understandable, given the witches and the acclamation on offer to

Understandable, given the witches biggest star is. But behind the

Association. —— German. Is there a problems. Racism, corruption and

Association. —— German. Is there a Clark Carlisle, welcome to HARDtalk.

Thank you. You walked out their professional football club for the

last time just a couple of months ago. It described a feeling of

liberation. Which tells me you have football industry. Not at all. It is

not a negative view of what football can offer. For my 15 years in the

game, I experienced some of the can offer. For my 15 years in the

magical highs and professional successes and achievements that

magical highs and professional could barely have dreamt of as a

child. But I think the balance to that is that there is a reality

child. But I think the balance to the industry that is far from public

perception. What they have not been afraid to say is what is reality is.

And the pressures that reality can bring. But it is a reality that

And the pressures that reality can have described as a dark cloud.

And the pressures that reality can puts you in situations where you are

talk about and my experiences is not That is true. That is because I

talk about and my experiences is not footballer. Although the emotional

rollercoaster will be there. We footballer. Although the emotional

to make sure that the networks are in place to support players like me.

But it strikes me that many players probably feel the same way you do.

and say what they like you because probably feel the same way you do.

and say what they like you because they pay your wages. And here is a

direct quote. Ultimately, you are an asset. They control as many parts of

your life as is humanly possible. I stand by each and every one of those

statements. That is not about to be mentally vulnerable or depressive,

it is a reality that every single professional footballer has to

statements. There needs to be a genuine shift in the way that we

aspirational footballers. Youngsters are corralled by the ages of six and

consideration to the identity and plan B and fancy of what they are

going to do should they not make it at a professional level. Because

most talented footballers will never They will commit themselves to it.

To the detriment of all else. That has to change. And when they do

To the detriment of all else. That it, and you make it, the fact is

meat. You are owned club. You could that you are treated like a piece of

meat. You are owned club. You could be sold on by club. There is an

the club. There is, no doubt about it. I have tried to address that in

often choice and mercenary decisions writing. What people believe is

often choice and mercenary decisions by players is far from it. It is

fit their needs. It might be a by players is far from it. It is

treated with respect to the people change of manager or division. The

treated with respect to the people who owned you? That is a very good

question. I would like to thank who owned you? That is a very good

the majority of clubs did. But there handled things differently. Like?

Like Preston when he was a manager and I was on loan for the entirety

of the year. The manager's decision was that he did not want or need me.

And you were out. And the next day I was out. People listening to this

across the world may be thinking that he is a binding footballer

across the world may be thinking at the very same time as he is

waning, we know that he and his colleagues are earning unbelievable

sums of money. Frankly, in terms of mediocre players are earning tens of

thousands of pounds per week. Is it not the case that the scale of the

money in football denies UE right to at all. There is no correlation

between the amount of money have and your emotional state. There is no

correlation between the amount of money you have and the level of

irrespective of the amounts of money money you have and the level of

irrespective of the amounts of money involved. You also into demise what

is wrong with the perception of stated that mediocre players and

tens of thousands of pounds per week. I guarantee that any player on

incredibly talented. He will have week. I guarantee that any player on

thousands of competitors for his himself for the entirety of his

day to maintain himself at that position. He works tirelessly every

day to maintain himself at that mediocre. He will still be 1 million

miles from Lionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo. He will be a journeyman

player. A player who is reliable. You are talking about the elitist of

a leaked. Lionel Messi is one of. There can only be one greatest in

the game. We are talking about a globally. It conforms to the natural

laws of supply and demand. Just globally. It conforms to the natural

Tom Cruise can earn $50 million globally. It conforms to the natural

movie. We do not apply a different moral compass or expectation of

behaviour or action from these people. There is a point where the

money gets incomprehensible. Others have called it obscene. We are

talking about a transfer fee that goes over $100 million. It is.

Football has to back off and say that this is wrong. In Spain, most

people are suffering austerity. that this is wrong. In Spain, most

expected to offer their adulation to cannot get a job. And they are

expected to offer their adulation to a footballer who is deemed to be

impression that you demean the sport impression that you demean the sport

still show films in Spain and sell of football and the quality that it

Nobody talks about Bill Gates. It music? Of course they do. Do they

conforms to the natural laws of supply and demand. Football will

only stop when the money stops coming into it. There is another way

of looking at it. Because there performers on the pitch. A lot of it

is going to middlemen and agents. Some would say that it is sleazy.

windows. Do you worry about the agents? Yes. I think that good

agents are a few and far between. Did you have an agent? I did in

agents are a few and far between. necessary. I needed an intermediary

to find me another club who would take me on. In the end, his interest

was his own bank account. Of course trusted them as much as they were

recommended. I generally believe that in a situation where it is

illegal for a player to talk to another club, I cannot think many

players, unless they are in upper tears, they are not that necessary.

—— echelons. Players should have the courage to stand up and speak with

themselves. You would get more respect. And because you are a voice

or authority figure within the game, players to you? —— two players

question. I think players should players to you? —— two players

question. I think players should listen to the union more. The union

is there to support players. There are a lot of things on offer from

the union that are not taken up even in the lower levels. Some of

the players. There is a perception even in the lower levels. Some of

the young men who play professional football are very vulnerable. When

vulnerable, abusive behaviour can develop that he quickly. We have

seen it with alcohol, gambling. develop that he quickly. We have

have experience with both. Explain to me how it works at a player can

so easily slip on a downward spiral. It can happen as easily to a player

as it can happen to any man in any walk of life. That is probably the

biggest factor in the industry, walk of life. That is probably the

if I, when I was going to make days on gambling days, if I had another

£20,000, I would only go so far on gambling days, if I had another

the line. When I was at Queens Park, and I was earning £100,000, I would

only be broken for a couple of weeks. Then the wages would come in.

That would enable me to go out and perpetuate this behaviour is. We

know that other players have been in the stark place. It got to a point

tasted success and are so physically when you were injured where it seems

tasted success and are so physically early in their life. It is hard

tasted success and are so physically me to process it logically as well.

attempted to commit suicide, it me to process it logically as well.

rationalised that the decision. me to process it logically as well.

was not sure if I was going to be was not even a way out. It was the

was not sure if I was going to be able to walk. My career was just

taking off. I had just moved down to Queen's Park Rangers. Football was

rewards, the reason why my parents were proud of me, white people took

interest in me. When that was taken away, myself worth, what I thought

thought everybody would be better off without me. Luckily you took an

overdose and it didn't work. I just football, your club, your teammates,

your manager, did anything to really address the problem is that you

because it was a decision that I made. Your fine now, you are just

pretend that didn't happen. —— you are fine. I think that is systematic

of society's views towards mental illness. It is all very hush—hush.

testosterone, aggression, macho images. Drink is a part of the

culture. Male bonding. It would images. Drink is a part of the

in this modern time where attitudes very hard, wouldn't it? Even today,

in this modern time where attitudes psychologists and psychiatrist etc.

injury, like a calf strain, it would sickness in football today. I wonder

if you would agree, that one of sickness in football today. I wonder

sicknesses is racism? In instances we have seen across the world,

instances of racist behaviour from football players. It is still a

instances of racist behaviour from important issue. One of the things

about racism is that the over racism that we saw many years ago has

lessened somewhat. Is that your retired. That leverage your career,

there was less racism directed at There are so many facets to the

opportunities. Progressing through There are so many facets to the

opportunities. Progressing through the system, there really seems to be

have tried to speed it up. You have a slow shift inequality there.

have tried to speed it up. You have tried to get racism out of English

football. It has become hugely controversial. One of the things

that you tried to do last season was to get all players in the Premier

League players refused to wear that league to wear kick it out T—shirts.

League players refused to wear that These big players will happily throw

a good grenade by not wearing a T—shirt, but when it explodes they

that a word you really want to apply to that fellow footballer? This

that a word you really want to apply written as a diary and these were my

feelings as that hold the buccal unfoldment. —— hold —— whole debacle

unfolded. I don't want to paraphrase their arguments, but it seems to me

their key argument was that it was certain key instances, controversy

surrounding those players, the industry had not done enough to

protect players from racism. But they hadn't done enough to kick

protect players from racism. But racism. Yes, that was exactly what

they were saying. You are sort of racism. Yes, that was exactly what

from the players... I couldn't these people were saying, nonsense.

from the players... I couldn't understand. I understood and I

respect that. You think you need to get a bit more radical and a bit

also as a group. They do the best that they can with the resources

walked off the field and took his teammates with him when he was

racially abuse. Would you like to see players walk off the pitch if

they hear final, racial abuse from the stands? Yes.Will that happen?

There are two sides to that. If the stands? Yes.Will that happen?

empowered and supported enough to be able to do that. The massive stake

you seriously think they are going to tolerate players making that

you seriously think they are going of stand and ending games, killing

equally... Because there was no hypothetical. The reason for my

equally... Because there was no follow—up with that. I genuinely

up and be counted. Don't expect others to stand up on your behalf.

partly because there are so many others to stand up on your behalf.

partly because there are so many foreign players now playing in

English football that it is really harming the interests of the sport.

Do you think it is time to think about quotas, about forcing them to

use more home—grown players? My care about the quality? Of course I

do. I think there are many other factors in the development of young

English players. The quality of factors in the development of young

culture itself. I think there needs quantitative analysis of our whole

setup. To identify why our young or 20, aren't good enough to compete

with players coming from overseas. Clarke Carlisle, we have to end