London: Former England cricketer Geoffrey Boycott on Tuesday made a controversial remark, stating that he would only be granted a knighthood if he had “blacked up”. The 76-year-old had made this racist remark during the first day night Test match in England, between the hosts and West Indies.
The cricket commentator Boycott, had earlier also termed the process of awarding knighthood to West Indian cricketers as a “confetti”.
According to The Mirror, Boycott was quoted saying “Mine’s been turned down twice. I’d better black me face.” As a result to this comment, the cricket expert was branded as a ‘dinosaur’ by the members who attended the dinner.
This comment was received in a negative way by many, including one of the diners, who said ““It was a crass comment. It was intended to get a laugh but it went down like a lead balloon. People were offended ”.
“Is Boycott suggesting these great West Indians got knighthoods merely because of the colour of their skin? Birmingham is celebrated for its ethnic diversity and racial tolerance,” the diner stated.
Desmond Jaddoo, an activist in Birmingham, also spoke on the remark, stating that it was “like something from the dark ages. They were ill-advised and ill-conceived.”
Former England great Sir Ian Botham was the last cricketer from the country to have been knighted, back in 2007. Meanwhile, the West Indian greats to have been knighted includes Curtly Ambrose, Viv Richards and Sir Garfield Sobers.
