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 by Leon Mann

Bela-where?? My Belarusian Adventure

One of the best things about being a journalist is that the job can take you to some mad interesting places.

I recently got a call to see if I’d be up for some reporting in Belarus at the European Amateur Boxing Championships. So I jumped at the chance.

In preparation, like all good journalists, I googled “Belarus” + “Minsk”, read that it was previously part of the Soviet Union and had the world’s largest population of Bison, then hopped on a half full 40-seater jet. (I spent my proper research time, reading up on the boxing!).

What I found when I got to Minsk, the capital of Belarus, was a very clean country who were ferociously proud to be hosting a major sports championship.

Our fixer on the trip was a real character. The perfect guide, as he was remarkably proud of his country and fancied himself as a bit of a historian. He took great pleasure in showing us around the beautiful city, taking us to eat with the locals and relaying stories of his time in the Soviet army.

Often when working in, or visiting, countries where there aren’t many black people (I saw two – away from the boxing venue) I get a bit anxious about the issues I may face. It’s an instinctive thing based on previous experiences. Sadly, it’s been pretty commonplace in my life to face distinctly different treatment to that I expect when I’ve been in certain parts of the world. But I had no such problems in Minsk.

In fact, my time there was so hassle free I only reflected on this issue when I got home to the UK. That isn’t to say that those issues don’t exist for the local ethnic minority populations. As a realist, who has worked extensively with ethnic minority communities across Europe, I know the power of the pound can protect you from all sorts… (Or in this case – Belarusian ruble)

Having had an interesting time in Belarus, I asked myself whether I would go back again?

In all honesty, I’m not sure I would – unless it was for work. But this is only because Minsk is pretty small, so I got to see most of it and sample the local culture.

I certainly wouldn’t discourage anyone from taking a butchers. It’s a beautiful place with a fascinating history and some very friendly people. I just hope it doesn’t turn into a stag do destination. It has all the characteristics for this to happen. Cheap (ish) beer and a high ratio of women to men.

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 by Leon Mann

My 2013 wish list

If you granted me three wishes, this is what I would like to see in the next 12 months.

2012 had everything. Drama, highs, lows and moments that united us in a way little else could.

But I would like to see this momentum used in 2013 to address some real issues our sports’ face.

1. Sports decision makers reflect the society it serves!

When you look at the UK’s sportspeople, it’s not hard to find black people and communities well represented.

In football more than 25% of players are black, while in athletics the community offers an even greater number of professionals. Yet, when you look at who is running those sports, we see very few (if any) black decision makers at the top table.

This is not only depressing, but it is depriving our sports of much needed expertise, knowledge and understanding.

A more diverse leadership in sport will result in greater levels of performance. Take a look across the pond at the USA if you need the proof.

2. Sports bodies become more accountable

In the time I have been involved in sport, I have lost count of the number of reports and (insert random number here) point plans.

The reason for this is a lack of accountability.

Where there are targets, surely there must be an outside regulatory body ensuring the sport is hitting these markers. Without this I see no point to these plans.

3. Sportspeople form dynamic partnerships

Knowledge is power, and there is so much of it across the community.

I would love to see Premier League footballers going to speak to NBA players to share ideas, collaborate and create exciting partnerships.

Sport is global. Our sports stars need to think big. I want to see them inspire the next generation with what they do off the field of play too.

Some may look at these wishes and suggest they will never happen.

I totally get that view, but if we stop asking important questions, we accept the current situation.

This cannot be an option. The opportunity for us to master “the game” away from the fields, pitches and tracks is long overdue.

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 by Leon Mann

Thank Twitter for football’s fight against racism

In years to come, Jason Roberts, Rio Ferdinand and others’ refusal to wear Kick It Out t-shirts will be seen as a seminal moment for anti-racism campaigning in football.

We will look back and say: that was the moment that made the football authorities step up its efforts to challenge racism, indeed all forms of discrimination.

Well, that’s what the community hopes anyway…

It is incredible to think that a simple protest by players, unhappy – not necessarily with Kick It Out – but the game’s rulers inability to address inequality and racist abuse sufficiently has catapulted the issue to the top of the agenda (or near enough).

Why didn’t they do this ages ago? Some will say.

If it was a case of self –organising, the community should send a thank you note to Twitter. While they aren’t exactly the best at policing racism themselves, the social media tool has provided a space that has helped players network like never before.

While it may seem far-fetched to some, Twitter has generated a strong network of players – both black and white – who communicate regularly. It’s the Yellow Pages of football, and while they may not always reply to the likes of me and you… they certainly get back to those from their own profession.

Without a doubt the Anton Ferdinand v Terry and Evra v Suarez incidents were huge factors in much – maybe all – of the unhappiness that lead to the protest. But how did the YouTube link of the former England captain using racially abusive language find its way into the media? And in the Suarez race abuse incident strong and regular comments surrounding the case on Twitter kept the issue live in our consciousness, as well as in the press.

One footballer said to me a few weeks ago, ‘On twitter there is nowhere to hide’. He’s right. Your timeline of comments now represents your personality, perspective and importantly, your politics. Players are now watching each other’s views and gaining confidence that they are not alone in their beliefs.

As the debates rage on about whether a black footballers’ association would work, whether the Kick It Out campaign needs to modernise, or if the football authorities are genuinely committed to the fight against racism, you can be sure of one thing. That the hundreds of footballers networking on twitter will not let these issues be swept under the mouse mat.

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 by Leon Mann

Forget your badge, remember the issues

What a summer 2012 served up for sports fans!

The remarkable climax to the Premier League season, Bradley Wiggins’ Tour de France victory, the Ryder Cup team and Andy Murray’s success stateside and the phenomenal London Olympics and Paralympics – made it an unrivalled period.

But I fear despite all these highs, the blows the black community – actually, scrap that, ALL communities – have been dealt over the last 12 months have left many of us feeling winded and detached from the sport we consume the most. Football.

We have had to become accustomed to seeing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra and QPR’s Anton Ferdinand routinely booed and abused by rival supporters for daring to stand up against racism.

Meanwhile campaigners such as Lord Ouseley, from Kick It Out, have been sent hundreds of abusive emails for suggesting all is not right in our game.

But perhaps most worryingly, tribal loyalties in football seem to have clouded the judgement of fans, as well as some former and current players amongst others.

What are the black community supposed to make of all this? Is your club badge more important than challenging racism?

The response to this situation from our communities is essential. Shared experience and anger unite like little else and in recent months the will from some seriously powerful voices to stand together is gathering momentum.

This is why the two major football awards evenings – organised by black communities, for black communities – are coming together.

The Black List awards and Best of Africa celebration will hold a humungous celebratory event at the end of the season to show solidarity with those who have had to fight racism on and off the pitch, while making the big noise our achievements deserve.

If British expats can get together in countless countries around the globe to celebrate their culture as minorities – why can’t we?

But I’ve wasted enough energy on those against us. Both The Black List awards and Best of Africa have always rightly celebrated those from other communities who have contributed to our successes too. We will always do this. Because we believe in equality – regardless of our respective club badge.

This column first appeared in The Voice Newspaper

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 by Leon Mann

To blog or not to blog… that is the question

I thought long and hard about whether to add a blogging section to this website.

Lots of questions entered my mind.

Does anyone really care what I think about stuff? Will this space become a ranting area? With social media seemingly taking over the world does anyone even blog anymore?

Hmmm. Lots of questions, a whole world of answers.

But as you can see, I thought; ‘why not!’

I enjoy expressing myself in lots of ways. So this space will allow me to type out what’s on my mind, share my views on things that may sit outside of my day-to-day work life and generally just engage with others out there. Yes – maybe you.

You’ll be able to tell how it’s working by tracking the dates of my blog posts.

If you find yourself feeling sorry for this lonely set of words – it’s probably not going too well… But I’m hopeful.

Any blog suggestions? Give me a shout at the contact page.

Bless up!

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 by Leon Mann

Making ‘Can Anyone Beat Bolt’

It’s an emotional process making a film.

For the past 18 months, or so, I’ve been following the fastest men on the planet making ‘Can Anyone Beat Bolt’ for BBC 3.

Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell, Yohan Blake and Christophe Lemaitre must be sick of the sight of me. We also cover Justin Gatlin’s story in the film.

In that time I’ve got to know them all. Met their friends and family, and learned about their lives away from the track and the media spotlight.

What I found is they are all very different characters, but share one common trait. They have all very humble.

So, as a filmmaker, it’s hard not to feel passionately about doing their stories justice and also being fair when controversial or difficult issues arise.

My job is to tell the audience a journalistically accurate story in an interesting, creative and engaging way. It’s an emotional journey doing that. But also a real privilege.

I won’t go into the nuts and bolts of making a film, but working as a team is absolutely the only way to go. I have been fortunate to have some incredible people to work with on this film. Each one a legend.

There have been many highlights along the way.

My interview with Usain Bolt – where he told me he was hoping to run 9.4 seconds in the 100m final at London 2012 – made global headlines.

Checking out the sleepy French village Christophe Lemaitre grew up in, at the foot of the Alps, was fascinating.

And learning more about the intense characters, Tyson Gay and Yohan Blake was also a real treat.

If I had to choose one highlight though, it was being at the Jamaica Olympic trials. Those four days had such highs, lows, everything! An incredible story and amazing opportunity to produce, direct and script it back in the edit.

Making a film for a younger audience was great. I’m 32 now so felt in touch… I’m confident what we made did the trick.

If you saw it I would be interested to see what you made of it.

Give me a shout.

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