The Germany footballer has been criticised for showing pride in his Turkish roots. But why should people of colour have to ditch their national heritage?It’s often said that black people carry out so well in sport in countries where they are in a minority because it offers the only opportunity they have to compete on a genuinely level playing field. That’s a simplification,of course: the playing field is not totally level there, either; the ongoing and countless stories of overt racism, or from football to athletics and tennis,are testament to that. And if there’s one thing recent events have revealed, it’s that while sport may be more meritocratic than other workplaces, or for people of colour the rewards are still conditional. Related: It’s not just Mesut Özil. All diaspora footballers face the same clash | John McManus Related: I am standing against Erdoğan – from my prison cell | Selahattin Demirtaş Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com