John Mackie talks for first time since he was at centre of race storm

former footballer racial slurs from another player in 2002 saw the events in the light of Luis Suarez and the case of John Terry

It was 7:30 on Wednesday and John Mackie has just finished setting up your fruit and vegetables in Camden. He went to a pub on the way to the company that has accrued since his retirement from professional football in 2008 after a career that included spells with the reading of the Orient, Brentford and Leyton, to use the bathroom, only to be stopped in its tracks.

"Sky Sports News showed Luis Suarez, who was suspended for eight games," says Mackie. .. "I watched for five minutes there was no sound, then Kirsty Gallacher came and I was sure she said my name, then the press conference came in 2002 ... I thought, "I do not really need that. "I would be a small clip, but it has been for two or three minutes. Every time something like this happens will be educated."

Mackie refers to the unfortunate incident nine years ago, when he played for Reading and Sheffield United striker racist Carl Asaba. He publicly apologized for 48 hours, at a press conference where he was joined by Alan Pardew, the manager at the time of reading, and John Salako and Tony Rougier, two black teammates offered its support. Mackie has also voluntarily donated two weeks' wages for the Kick Racism Out of Football campaign.

Asaba accepted the apology and Sheffield United, who initially complained to the Football Association, said he took issue. The FA, however, proceeded by Mackie with a fault and two months later, was suspended for eight games, five of which were suspended, and fined him £ 3000, £ 1.500 has been suspended. Reading stripped of the captaincy.

If all this sounds like old news, should be reviewed for a week, when the name of Mackie is back in the public consciousness because of the alleged race between Suarez and John Terry. Mackie is one of the few players who know what it means to be the center of a storm of race and in many respects his case set a precedent before conviction Suarez.

He never answered questions about what happened in Asaba - he read a statement to the press conference - but the London of 35 years, is aware that his name still appears in and when he agrees to do this interview to explain their own history and try to draw a line under it at the same time.

begins by recalling the events of December 14, 2002, when he returned to central defense for playing league match against Sheffield United after an absence of four games. "I had a tough match with Dean Windass, a good fight, nothing nasty," said Mackie. "Then suddenly I got an elbow in the Adam's apple is about the worst place where I can get an elbow. Think he thought I was choking Dean looked at me and then he was y. Carl was a sort of laugh. I was furious. I returned to the team and we lose and are beginning to wonder if it is to you and then this happens.

"There was a small altercation in the tunnel, nothing important, and we went to the locker room and got a happy PARDS. We send a warm down and in this way. [. Asaba] came out and I was saying things and saying things, and was one of those things where it was so much frustration and anger, all in a single word I said and as soon as I ' did it, I thought, 'What have I done? "

"I was James Harper, John Salako and Tony Rougier [who are all black] up and asks what they think of me. Nothing was said after the game, but the next day I call that PARDS said. "We believe we have a problem that Sheffield United will complain .'"

• Mackie
• Asaba want to apologize immediately, but he was also concerned that many of your friends think of him. "Any person who makes a racist thing, I always tell my guys in black or something. I think it's an easy and I was not looking for it. However, probably half of my contacts are on the phone . black or mixed race guy you thought you had to call and the response I got was: ". There is no need to call us "even offered to hire a coach and come and be witnesses of character."
Salako

next day and Rougier voluntarily to testify. "Tony and John was great. They said they would support me. I do not ask. And it was the high level professionals, young boys who were not harassed in a public relations exercise. They knew it was a comment made in anger from the heat of the moment and is not intended as a racist comment. I'm sure if he really thought he was a racist and a horrible person have not set foot in the room. "

Mackie
never considered trying to claim he was innocent. "I could have and should have been denied to them to prove it," he said. "I'm sure we would have witnessed, but you can get convicted and always say they never said. But I was always raised that if you do wrong, to apologize. I done and paid the price financially and I also paid the price wise career.

"I lost the captaincy, I lost my place in the suspension and, in the long run, when my contract ended, I think it was probably an easy decision for the club to say: "Look over .'"
He never received any derogatory remarks teammates, opponents, supporters or members of the public in the days and weeks following his confrontation with Asaba, although Mackie agree that Suarez could have a road particularly difficult in the fans. "There are a million times better than me. And with him [are opposition supporters] do not want to put it anyway because he is a man of danger."

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