Two football battles fought off the pitch

First up, it’s the first Merseyside derby of the season, between Everton and Liverpool. The 218th and arguably the biggest same-city derby in the country, sees Everton, currently fourth in the Premier League, hosting Liverpool struggling in 12th.

The old cliché of the form book going out the window will be said, but bragging rights on Monday morning at work and the weeks that follow for the victorious supporters are all that matter.

But this is the first clash between the two sides since the Liverpool fans were vindicated of blame by a court ruling on the tragedy of Hillsborough in 1989.

Liverpool has come together as the city is scattered with families with a blue/red divide. But Hillsborough affected both sides as supporters who died may have worn red, but many would have blue relatives.

Everton’s full back Leighton Baines is indicative of this. Although he plays for the blue half of the city, he’s fully respectful towards any Liverpool fan affected by the tragedy. His father, a life-long Liverpool fan was at Hillsborough on that tragic day, but survived.

Racism

The other game kicks off just over two hours later, with Chelsea, top of the league, hosting Man United. More prominently it sees United’s Rio Ferdinand (if fit) facing Chelsea’s Ashley Cole, the man who supported John Terry during the race row involving Rio’s younger brother Anton.

First and foremost the football game is only important on the field because being two of the biggest clubs in the country neither side will want to lose.

A loss for either team won’t be detrimental in their pursuit for league glory. But the bigger interest will be the conduct of Rio Ferdinand. He’s publically said he will shake Cole’s hand in an effort to draw a line under the feud in an effort to fight racism.

So what have we learned from this last week and even last year? People keep going on about ‘well, the good thing is that now we’re talking about it’. I’d argue OK, but too much talk is the reason players like Jason Roberts and Joleon Lescott have shunned the Kick It Out campaign.

Manchester United or Chelsea may gain a slight advantage with a victory, but slight is the word I’d use to describe any progress in the fight against racism in football.