Off the pitch incidents

Apparently even a prominent black footballer, who's on the Everton first team, voted Young Player of the Season in 2007/8, scored four goals in a UEFA cup campaign, represented his country at the Olympics (winning a silver medal), and is on TV screens most every weekend, can't walk down the street or look in a shop window without becoming a criminal suspect...

The Everton forward Victor Anichebe is awaiting an apology following a police swoop as he was looking in a jeweller's window in Knutsford, Cheshire. Officers, directed by CCTV operators, rushed to the scene and began a "heated dialogue" with Anichebe and his friend.

The 20-year-old striker's friend was put in handcuffs after police believed the duo were possibly part of a gang of raiders responsible for robberies on the exclusive King Street. The Nigerian-born Anichebe was wearing a leg cast following surgery when police detained them both. An Everton spokesman, Ian Ross, said: "Victor was deeply upset and very distressed by the incident. I believe he is still waiting for a full and unreserved apology from the police involved. Once he has received that both the club and the player will consider the matter closed."

Now it's nice to see the club backing Anichebe unequivocally, but there's more than just the Chang beer elephant in the room here. There's plenty said in the English media about "racism in football," especially involving fans in the stadiums of Southern and Eastern Europe making racist chants against visiting players from English teams... but I wonder if this sort of incident will come under the same scrutiny, lead to fines and calls for English society to 'examine itself', and fall under the aegis of FIFA's Kick it Out campaign? Or is this sort of 'normal', 'everyday' institutional racism something that black players should just expect to encounter and deal with on their own?

Anichebe's known for being a level-headed striker, and I know he's got to officially 'consider the matter closed', but I tell you what- if I was followed on CCTV and swooped on by cops when I was out shopping, you can bet I'd hold a grudge.