Clyde Best suffered horrific abuse — but says racism ‘tougher’ for modern players

A new documentary will chart the story of Best, a Black pioneer within English football

(Getty Images)

Clyde Best, the player widely regarded as football's first Black superstar, says modern-day racism is tougher to deal with than the abuse he received in the 1960s and 70s.

Best moved from Bermuda as a teenager to join West Ham in 1968 and at times faced horrific racial abuse from the stands.

Chillingly, he once received a threat that someone would attack him with acid the next time he ran out from the tunnel at Upton Park.

Speaking about a new documentary - Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story - from his home in Bermuda, Best told the Press Association: "I had a letter sent to me by mail, saying someone's going to throw acid in my face.

"I take my hat off to the players, because they made two lines as we ran out of the tunnel, and put me in the middle.

"I'll always remember that incident. But I had a job to do and I wasn't going to let it stop me.

"There were lots of players who had things said towards them but you had to be bigger than them."

Best recalled one particularly unsavoury match, at Everton, which eventually had a satisfying outcome.

"You know when you hear the monkey chants that they're doing it for you," he added.

Clyde Best played for West Ham in the 1960s and 70s (Getty Images)

"I just got tired of that, so I told my team-mate Frank Lampard when he got the ball, to give it to me.

"Everton defender Terry Darracott had grabbed my arm, so I dragged him from the halfway line all the way to the goalkeeper. Once the goalkeeper approached I made my move, he fell for it and I just dinked the ball over his head.

"It was worth doing and letting them know that, 'hey, I can play as well'. They applauded every time I got the ball after that."

But while he was able to stick up a proverbial two fingers to the racists in the crowd - Best scored 58 goals in 213 appearances in claret and blue - he believes the social media abuse today's players are subjected to is harder to deal with.

Just this Tuesday, League One side Northampton said their players had been targeted, while Best cited the abuse aimed at England trio Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka after missing penalties in the Euro 2020 final.

"You've got to be tough. You can't let that stuff stop you from your dream," said Best, 74.

"With social media it's a lot easier to get at people like the boys who missed those penalties. That sort of stuff, you thought would have been out of the way.

"That's what makes it tougher for players today."

Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story, featuring contributions from the likes of Harry Redknapp, Les Ferdinand, Viv Anderson and Ian Wright, is being shown at Sadler's Wells East Theatre in London from Wednesday 25 March.

PA