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Popular TV pundit ‘Kammy’ says he couldn’t have handled the abuse his fellow analysts, including BBC star Alex Scott, suffered online during the European Championships
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Chris Kamara shows off his fleet footwork with Karcher pressure washer
TV pundit Chris Kamara has hit out at internet trolls – admitting he thinks they would have driven him out of his job if he was starting out now.
The former Leeds and Middlesbrough midfielder was left disgusted by the abuse his fellow analysts, including BBC star Alex Scott, suffered online during the Euros.
And he was also stunned by the racist abuse England players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka received after missing penalties in the final.
Kammy, 63, told the Sunday Mirror: “I suffered racist abuse when I first started playing, but I’m very fortunate, I don’t get any abuse now online.
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Image:
Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
“People don’t see me as black or white, or whatever, they just see me as Kammy these days and even if someone disagrees with me there’s thousands who jump to my defence straight away.
“But if I was starting off at Sky now, like I did in 1998 and social media was around then, I probably wouldn’t be working in telly today.
“I just see the stuff that Alex Scott goes through, and other people starting off in punditry, and I just think these people are actually trying to stop people working.
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Image:
Bob Thomas Sports Photography via Getty Images)
“When I started off I wasn’t a household name, I’d had a decent playing career, but I wasn’t glittering in terms of trophies and England caps, and if social media existed back then I probably wouldn’t be where I am today.
“During the Euros, I saw pundits getting dogs abuse just for giving their opinion and I just think ‘these people, where are they coming from?’.
Speaking about the racism shown to players, Kammy, now established on Sky Sports said: “I couldn’t get my head round it. What has the colour of your skin got to do with taking a penalty? It’s absolutely nothing to do with it. It just doesn’t make sense.
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Image:
Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)
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“It’s not just black people who are saddened by this, it’s white people and every colour, who are saddened that racism still exists in 2021 and that some people still judge you by the colour of your skin.”
Chris, who is also now working as an ambassador for Yorkshire-based internet firm Plusnet, added: “These people are hiding behind their keyboards and these social media companies have a responsibility, or they should have, to sort this out.
“If you register to go on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or whatever, you should have to give your details to show who you are, exactly the same as to get a passport or to vote or whatever. We need to see who these people are.”
*Chris is today launching his own podcast – called The Chris KaMOREa Podcast – to mark Yorkshire Day celebrating the county’s love for great value and to urge Brits to demand more bargains.
As part of the podcast, he has interviewed a number of stars, including Keith Lemon, Simon Webb and Charlie Webster.
He said: “People need to take a leaf out of Yorkshire’s book when it comes to getting more bang for their buck. Being more direct, ditching the embarrassment and speaking up for what you want but with warmth and charm has got me where I am today. It’s these inherently Yorkshire traits that were instilled in me from a young age.”
