The first black man to play for England says racism is even worse now

The world was a different place in 1978. Hatred and racial animosity were largely left undealt with. But one man had the courage to face the hatred and become a celebrated figure in decades to come. It was Viv Anderson.

Born in Nottingham, defender Anderson spent the first 10 years of his career at Nottingham Forest, breaking into the first team under Brian Clough in 1974. He would go on to earn his first England cap four years later and thus become the first black man to play for The Three Lions.

The irony is – he believes racism in England is worse now than it was 50 years ago.

"I think the fight against racism has gone backwards since my day, definitely, because social media wasn’t around then. At least in my day you could look at the person abusing you in the face and say, ‘I can see your face’. Now they are just hiding under different accounts, on different social media platforms. I think it’s a lot more difficult for players now. During my day the abuse in footballers confined to the stadium, and once I left the pitch it finished. For today’s players there is no getting away from it."

Anderson was an important part of the Forest side which won promotion to the top tier in 1977, lifting the title and the League Cup a year later. He was called up to the England side by then-manager Ron Greenwood soon after, making his debut in a 1-0 friendly win over Czechoslovakia at Wembley.

English football in the 1970s could be a hugely hostile place for a black man, and Anderson was regularly subjected to racist abuse from fans. He remembers what it was like for him as a professional in those days.

"I remember going to Carlisle, the town in the north of England. Something happened and I just sat down within five minutes. Manager Brian Clough had told me to warm up but just couldn’t because there were people throwing apples and pears and bananas at me. The manager told me to go back out there and get him two pears and a banana."

But it was the legendary Cough’s way of getting the point across to Anderson. The manager would later explain it.

"I did that for a reason, you know - because if you let them dictate to you, you aren’t going to make a good career and I think you can play. Don't let them influence you in any way."

Viv was never the one to keep quiet (©Gallo Images)

Those words would forever stay with Anderson who would go on to enjoy a hugely successful career, winning back-to-back European Cups under Clough at Forest.

His competitive debut for England came in a 2-0 win over Bulgaria in qualifying for the 1980 European Championships.

Anderson left Forest for Arsenal in 1984 and, three years later, became Sir Alex Ferguson’s first signing as manager of Manchester United. He eventually won 30 senior caps for England in an international career spanning 10 years. Short spells at Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsley and Middlesbrough followed, before his retirement in 1995 at the age of 39.

Viv Anderson played for Arsenal and Manchester United (©Gallo Images)

Nottingham-born Viv says today’s black players have it even harder than he did because the racist abuse is constant on social media.

"The stuff on social media has been going on for years and years and they keep putting it off and putting it off. Nothing ever gets done. The abuse is getting worse. Look how many players have been racially abused over the past two weeks. It’s definitely getting worse. Clearly, something has to change. I think all the authorities should be lobbying the government. Why should I go on my phone and be racially abused by somebody sitting in their room, who doesn’t know me?"

Viv Anderson has won every battle he’s been in but the war against ignorance and hatred isn’t over yet.