Not so "White" Hart Lane

Today's back page story of the Daily Mirror grabbed my attention to the extent that I felt the need to steal the paper from the Civic Offices in Uxbridge.

Former Tottenham Hotspur player Sergei Rebrov has offered his advice to Roman Pavlyuchenko on how to adapt to life at White Hart Lane. Before I get in to the nitty gritty of his advice... firstly a comment on how well Rebrov himself settled into life at White Hart Lane. He didn't. Billed as one of the best strikers in Europe, with Spurs beating AC Milan to his signature, big things were expected of Rebrov at Spurs after his £11m move from Dinamo Kiev. Rebrov managed 16 goals in 76 games, before a move to West Ham United where he scored 2 goals in 32 games. So... what advice can Rebrov, who is clearly an expert on settling into London, offer new Spurs signing Pavlyuchenko?

"I wouldn't go for a walk on my own around White Hart Lane... A lot of dark skinned people live there. So naturally the crime rate is higher than anywhere else" Sergei Rebrov

Now, given this is a quote from the Daily Mirror, the wording may not be exactly what Rebrov had intended, however the fundamentals are there. And Rebrov is not exactly incorrect. It is not advised to walk around White Hart Lane on your own, as the area does have a lot of trouble. However, to literally blame black people for this is a little unfair. Not quite Hitler-esque on the scapegoating, but a little unfair.

But perhaps we should not be so surprised. Although Rebrov is Ukrainian, he is from a similar culture to that of Pavlyuchenko in Russia. A country that is yet to appreciate the cosmopolitan nature of the world, highlighted brilliantly by Zenit St. Petersburg Coach Dick Advocaat's (alleged) quotes to a Russian sports magazine last season.

"The only players who can make Zenit stronger are dark skinned... For us, it would be impossible. I would be happy to sign anyone, but the fans don’t like black players" Dick Advocaat

This is a country that, whilst I would not accuse them of being inherently racist, I would suggest are yet to experience the same diversity of culture as western Europe. I'm sure there are plenty of Zenit fans that wouldn't flinch at a black player being signed, but it would certainly be a shock to the system.