Oliver Holt to appear at free LondonEnglandFans talk

Friday 17 May 2013
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Did England supporters’ chanting towards Rio Ferdinand in the recent World Cup qualifying games have racist overtones? A LondonEnglandFans fans forum with Oliver Holt aims to explore the issue.

The columnist and chief football writer from the Daily Mirror will be in central London this Monday (20 May), to review England’s record to date under Roy Hodgson, prospects for the two summer friendlies and the national team’s route to Brazil 2014.

There will also be a platform for a lively but constructive dialogue with Oliver about his reporting of England fans chants about Rio Ferdinand at the San Marino and Montenegro games. Holt, one of the game’s leading and most articulate voices on racism in football, has covered the issue extensively.

Helping with the latter are two special guests.

Dan Burdsey is one of the country’s leading experts on racism in football, author of the influential book ‘Asians in British Football’. Dan will be giving a visual presentation entitled ‘Banter, The Right to be Offensive and Racist Abuse’.

Chris Oakley is a travelling England fan and the author of ‘Football Delirium’, a book about the passions and emotions that make a football crowd so special.

The event will be held at the Savoy Tup, 2 Savoy Street, Strand, London WC2R 0BA. For directions to the venue, please click here.

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