James McClean backs former Ireland team-mate Jon Walters for top PFA job

The Stoke City winger, who welcomed the support from his former team-mates he has received over online abuse directed towards him and his family, believes if Walters succeeds Gordon Taylor as chief executive of the English players’ union would be a ‘huge step’ on ending the abuse.

“If Jon gets the job, it’s another huge step on the ladder to ending this once and for all,” he explained.

“I’m not tarring everybody with the same brush because that would be wrong and I don’t want it to come across that way, but for far too long people in the UK have looked down on Irish people and thought of us as second class citizens, we’re inferior to them and we’re a joke to them.

“They think it’s acceptable that they can call us ‘Paddys’, ‘Fenians’, ‘Pikies’, ‘Leprechauns’, whatever and that always seemed to be acceptable and I don’t even think they knew they were doing anything wrong when they were saying it. So now to even have someone like Jon going for that job is a significant change and a change in the right direction.”

McClean also welcomed political support he has received from the likes of NI First Minister and DUP leader Arlene Foster, Michelle O’Neill from Sinn Féin and the Taoiseach Micheál Martin, were among politicians who condemned the abuse.

“I have heard the comments and I appreciate them and I appreciate the support,” he insisted. “This is not a ‘green or orange’ thing, this is discrimination because discrimination is discrimination and there is no points scoring ‘green over orange’ or nothing like that, this is the vile abuse towards Irish people has gone on now for decades and it’s about time that it’s stops.

“Look it’s just not Irish abuse and, yes, I’m speaking about Irish abuse, because that’s what I receive but every other form of discrimination, it’s no longer tolerated, it needs to stop and more needs to be done and I think slowly but surely stuff is going to get done, but in the same sense not enough.”

The Ireland international admits he probably has let too many incidents ‘slide’ in the past and that, in turn, hasn’t helped some members of his family who continue to worry about him.

“Now it’s about banging on enough doors and thankfully now I’m starting to see them being opened,” he stated. “Looks it’s a clear message and it’s not a cry for sympathy, because it’s not wanted or needed, as it won’t do anything, this is a message now to call on anybody Irish, who receive any anti-Irish abuse in the UK or anywhere else.

“It has been deemed acceptable for far too long and the days of being acceptable is over now, whether that’s sports stars or just people in a normal 9 to 5 job or any aspect to life, it’s time to stand up now as it’s time to have your say and no longer accept the anti-Irish abuse.

“The authorities are being more vocal about it and they are not being one sided in their view. They are seeing from my point of view, so yes I think it’s a major step, but on the other side of the coin I’m not naive to think that some people are going to have their views and they are going to continue doing what they are doing and that will never change.

“People do seem to be taking notice now and speaking out about it and that’s obviously what matters. For me I’m quite thick skinned and I’m quite resilient and if anything that’s probably gone against me in the past because I have let things slide, but it’s more difficult for my family who are a bit more sensitive and it hurts them a bit more. But now I have got a young family and my only priority in life is to provide and look after them at all cost, so whenever you start crossing that line that’s a different ball game.”

McClean believes that social media companies could do more to regulate their platforms.

Just this week the Creggan native’s brother Patrick, who plays for Glentoran, received a vile message on Instagram stating it would be preferable for James’ three children to have to watch him burn, threatening to burn down his home with his family inside.

“Social media now is no longer what it was intended to be and now it’s a vile place now full of hatred,” he vowed. “

And that’s just society in general and I think social media has a huge part to play on that, but there’s just so much hateful messages now and it’s just a place hate.

“Honest to God people just think because they are on social media they are behind the screen and they can say and do what they want and nine times out of 10 they aren’t held accountable for it, because they are sitting behind a screen, so what are you going to do, go and bang their door and take actions into your own hands and then you are the worst in the world.

“If you do anything then you lose more than what they will.”