Noel and Liam Gallagher's Man City hero lifts lid on sickening racist abuse
Opposition fans used to greet Alex Williams with bananas, burning crosses and envelopes packed with razorblades when he was Manchester City ’s goalkeeper.
Even his manager and team-mates used language that would now get them sacked such was the acceptance back in the 1980s that football was racist and nothing could be done.
Williams, now aged 61, has just retired after a lifetime which saw a serious back injury end his playing career after just 125 appearances for the club he supported as a boy - but still brought a MBE for the outstanding work he did over more than three decades for the City in the Community charity.
“I’ve always been a glass-half-full type of lad,” said Williams, who came from the same inner-city streets as Noel and Liam Gallagher and was a boyhood hero of the Oasis brothers. “And that’s why I think the fight against racism is being won.
“There’s still some work to be done, of course. The battle is still a long way from being over because there are hearts and minds out there that still need to be won.
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Noel and Liam Gallagher were huge fans of Williams when they were kids (PA)“But there are so many black, ethnic and foreign players in every team at every level now - and I think that influence has made people realise that bigotry doesn’t have a place in sport and hopefully in life in general.
“Forty years ago, I was often the only black player on the pitch and some opposition fans could target me knowing that they weren’t hurting their own team.
The goalkeeper played 125 times for City (Colorsport/REX/Shutterstock)“Punishing clubs - and even players - for racist chants and comments wasn’t even on the radar of the police and football authorities back then and for too long it was brushed under the carpet and treated as a bit of a joke.
“The Everton fan who knotted two newspapers together in the shape of a Ku Klux Klan cross before setting it on fire at Goodison Park knew he wouldn’t be arrested. The Leeds fans who threw bananas onto the pitch at Elland Road knew that no action would be taken against their club.
“And the people who sent me a packet of razorblades through the post before we played Chelsea probably hoped that I would cut my fingers and be out of the game.
“Even managers and some of my own team-mates said things. They thought it was acceptable if they were trying to be funny. But it was racism and it hurt.”
Williams, whose parents settled in Manchester as part of the Windrush generation, has written a book about his experiences. It is typical of him that he will be donating some of the proceeds to the CITC charity.
It includes tributes from Pep Guardiola, Neville Southall, Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and Noel Gallagher, who would often try to impress the watching Williams when he played boyhood games of five-a-side with his mates in the local park. There is also a brutally honest confession from highly-respected former City captain Paul Power about a remark he made to Williams.
Williams headed the City in the Community charity for 33 years (NurPhoto via Getty Images)Williams said: “I can only admire Paul for writing what he has for the book. A lot of people wouldn’t have had the courage to address it, but he did and I thank him for that.
“I am often asked how I managed just to get through games - and the answer is that I was very tough mentally. I used the abuse as a motivation to play even better. Of course, not everyone can do that.
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Williams has released a new book about his career (Alex Williams)“Bigotry comes in different forms. I remember having a loan spell at Queen of the South in Scotland. I didn’t get abused because of the colour of my skin up there. Fans gave me stick because I was English.”
Williams’ last act before retirement was to present the Premier League trophy to Ilkay Gundogan after City had completed the first part of their treble.
As a player he won European medals for England at youth and Under-21 level and would have surely become a full international but for injury.
“It would have been easy to be bitter because all I ever dreamed of was playing for City and I had that taken away from me at 25,” he said. “But like I say, my glass is always half full.”
** You Saw Me Standing Alone by Alex Williams is available from alexwilliamsbook.co.uk **
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