Read Online #2Sides: My Autobiography by Rio Ferdinand - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Rio Ferdinand
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became a thing in the media. They were talking about me. ‘Rio’s going to wear the T-shirt!’… ‘Rio’s NOT going to wear the T-shirt!’ I heard lots of players say, ‘I ain’t wearing that fucking T-shirt. No way!’ Then they went out and wore them! When push comes to shove, you find out who your mates are. It changed my opinion a little bit about some people who disappeared under rocks. But I didn’t let it affect my relationships and I certainly wouldn’t want to
out
them for it. I mean, I didn’t ask anyone to boycott the T-shirt. Just don’t tell me you’re not going to wear it, then wear it. Lip service, again. At the same time, some people were as good as their word. Jason Roberts didn’t wear one; Joleon Lescott didn’t wear one. I heard the entire Wigan and Swansea squads didn’t wear any either.
But inevitably there was a focus on me. The manager had announced in a press conference the day before the game against Stoke: ‘all my players will wear it.’ I couldn’t understand that. I thought, he never asked me. Next day, as we were going out for the warm-up, the kit man, Albert Morgan, comes to me with a T-shirt and gives it to me. I was upset straight away. I said, ‘fuck off, Albert.’ We had that relationship. I could swear at him and he could swear at me, and the next day it’d be forgotten.
‘
Fuck off, Albert
!’
‘No, the manager wants you to wear it.’
‘I ain’t fucking wearing it.’
‘No, the manager
wants
you to put it on. You’ve got to put it on.’
‘Listen, Albert: FUCK. OFF.’
So I went out onto the pitch not wearing it. I came back in from the warm-up… and the gaffer fucking exploded.
‘
Who do you fucking think you are?
Not wearing that fucking shirt? I’ve told everyone yesterday you’re wearing it! You’re fucking meant to wear it. Fucking going out on your own and doing your own thing – who do you think you are?’ Blah, blah…
I said, ‘you didn’t ask me. I was
never
going to wear that fucking T-shirt. I didn’t tell you to go on TV and fucking speak about it.’
‘That’s it,’ came the reply. ‘You’re fined a week’s wages.’
‘Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.’
‘Yeah, you fucking will see me tomorrow, you’re fined.’
And that was it. I went out and played and we won the game.
The next day, I had to go and see him in his office and I walked in expecting both barrels. I went in with my hard hat on. He sat down. I didn’t even sit down. He said, ‘listen, I don’t agree with what you’ve done. I know it’s your family and everything, but I just don’t agree with you not wearing the T-shirt. You’ve got to support campaigns like this and organisations like that… I’m a union man.’
‘Yeah, but, boss, you never spoke to me about it. You never understood my situation. You don’t know what’s going on and why I didn’t wear it.’ I tried to explain that I didn’t wear it because Kick It Out hadn’t gone to the court case, and I didn’t believe in what they do. ‘If you didn’t believe in an organisation, you’d never put their badge on, would you? If something happened and they didn’tdo what you expected of them, you would never,
ever
back that organisation, I
know
you wouldn’t, boss!’
Then he amazed me. He said, ‘listen, I spoke to my wife last night and she said to me, um … she asked me, “did you ask the boy about it?” And I said no. And she said, “There’s your mistake there.”’ He told me that!
Then he said, ‘I don’t often admit mistakes. But I understand a little bit why you didn’t wear it now. I’m not going to fine you. I should have spoken to you. That’s my mistake and I accept that. I still believe you should have worn the T-shirt. But I respect that you didn’t.’
And that was it. I was so impressed. My respect for him just went up even more. I think maybe he respected me a little bit more, because I had a belief and I’d stuck to it, even when there was
out
them for it. I mean, I didn’t ask anyone to boycott the T-shirt. Just don’t tell me you’re not going to wear it, then wear it. Lip service, again. At the same time, some people were as good as their word. Jason Roberts didn’t wear one; Joleon Lescott didn’t wear one. I heard the entire Wigan and Swansea squads didn’t wear any either.
But inevitably there was a focus on me. The manager had announced in a press conference the day before the game against Stoke: ‘all my players will wear it.’ I couldn’t understand that. I thought, he never asked me. Next day, as we were going out for the warm-up, the kit man, Albert Morgan, comes to me with a T-shirt and gives it to me. I was upset straight away. I said, ‘fuck off, Albert.’ We had that relationship. I could swear at him and he could swear at me, and the next day it’d be forgotten.
‘
Fuck off, Albert
!’
‘No, the manager wants you to wear it.’
‘I ain’t fucking wearing it.’
‘No, the manager
wants
you to put it on. You’ve got to put it on.’
‘Listen, Albert: FUCK. OFF.’
So I went out onto the pitch not wearing it. I came back in from the warm-up… and the gaffer fucking exploded.
‘
Who do you fucking think you are?
Not wearing that fucking shirt? I’ve told everyone yesterday you’re wearing it! You’re fucking meant to wear it. Fucking going out on your own and doing your own thing – who do you think you are?’ Blah, blah…
I said, ‘you didn’t ask me. I was
never
going to wear that fucking T-shirt. I didn’t tell you to go on TV and fucking speak about it.’
‘That’s it,’ came the reply. ‘You’re fined a week’s wages.’
‘Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.’
‘Yeah, you fucking will see me tomorrow, you’re fined.’
And that was it. I went out and played and we won the game.
The next day, I had to go and see him in his office and I walked in expecting both barrels. I went in with my hard hat on. He sat down. I didn’t even sit down. He said, ‘listen, I don’t agree with what you’ve done. I know it’s your family and everything, but I just don’t agree with you not wearing the T-shirt. You’ve got to support campaigns like this and organisations like that… I’m a union man.’
‘Yeah, but, boss, you never spoke to me about it. You never understood my situation. You don’t know what’s going on and why I didn’t wear it.’ I tried to explain that I didn’t wear it because Kick It Out hadn’t gone to the court case, and I didn’t believe in what they do. ‘If you didn’t believe in an organisation, you’d never put their badge on, would you? If something happened and they didn’tdo what you expected of them, you would never,
ever
back that organisation, I
know
you wouldn’t, boss!’
Then he amazed me. He said, ‘listen, I spoke to my wife last night and she said to me, um … she asked me, “did you ask the boy about it?” And I said no. And she said, “There’s your mistake there.”’ He told me that!
Then he said, ‘I don’t often admit mistakes. But I understand a little bit why you didn’t wear it now. I’m not going to fine you. I should have spoken to you. That’s my mistake and I accept that. I still believe you should have worn the T-shirt. But I respect that you didn’t.’
And that was it. I was so impressed. My respect for him just went up even more. I think maybe he respected me a little bit more, because I had a belief and I’d stuck to it, even when there was
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