En britisk fotballegende, Ron Atkinson, tråkket skikkelig i salaten da han kalte Chelsea-spilleren Marcel Desailly for en «fucking lazy, thick nigger». Atkinson trodde mikrofonen var av. Han mistet øyeblikkelig jobben både som kommentator for ITV og Guardian.

Football pundit Ron Atkinson has lost his job as a columnist for the Guardian following his racist comments live on air about Chelsea defender Marcel Desailly.

Atkinson resigned last night as a football summariser for ITV Sport after calling Desailly a «fucking lazy thick nigger» on air following his team’s defeat at the hands of Monaco in the first leg of the European Champions League semi-final.

Although the comment was not broadcast by ITV in this country it was picked up by a live feed of the programme in the Middle East. The remarks, made when Atkinson believed his microphone had been turned off, instantly caused a furore and he immediately tendered his resignation, which was accepted by ITV Sport.

After reviewing a transcript of the comments from broadcasters in Middle East and speaking to Atkinson, the Guardian today confirmed that links were being severed with him as a football columnist for the paper’s sports pages.

Now Atkinson loses Guardian job

Owen Gibson
Thursday April 22, 2004