Superb interview......he didn't rant or argue. He spoke articulately and in a calm expressive manner so that even white folk indenial about racism in society can say "I understand" Well done Mr Barnes 👌🏾👏🏾👏🏾

Well said Mr John Barnes. will always be a legend

FFS, many thanks John Barnes, I used to look up to you when you pleayed for Liverpool, now I look up to you for what you have to say! Please, do it again, again, again and again!

John Barnes great footballer and great orator. Brilliant points John. Wise words.

Love how Barnes always moved the focus back onto racism in society and not be lead into agreeing it's a footballing problem.

I genuinely don't understand how someone can discriminate someone based on the colour of their skin. I judge people on the content of what comes out of their mouth.

"reared its head once again..." When will you people acknowledge that racism never left. Racism is rife in UK society! It always has been. This is only getting attention as it's in football. What a joke! Makes me sick. Glad to see Barnsy finally talking on the topic Football matches are attended by normal British people... So if racism is rife there, we have to accept that is is rife in the rest of society

One of my greatest joys as a youngster was watching Mr Barnes play superb football in the 1980's and as a lower league player wished I could play as good as him, one of my saddest points was witnessing the racism he was subjected to. John Barnes is a Legend and not just for his football skills

Wow he actually managed to summarize whats wrong with our society with regards to discrimination in under 10 minutes.

I am Asian been applying for jobs in banking and have a masters and tons off Experience. I am Sikh and due to non english name cant get a look in. Have no choice but to do Uber till I start my own business with my brother. Why are 99% of Uber drivers not white/british. John Barnes summed up REAL racisim brilliantly. Silent racisim is huge.

You spoke out for many people who will never have the opportunity to speak on that platform and represented us...Not just people of different colours, religions, ethnicity. Well done John

John is like really smart.... He really opened my eyes

Barnes is smart. Respect

Growing up in the 90's in England was an absolute nightmare so can't imagine what the 60's 70's & 80's was like, i will never forget it:-))

The media has to be blamed. Look how Sadio Mane is being underrated by the media. But if he was not playing well, all the media would be on him. Do not blame the fans, blame the media.

imagine if John Barnes was at PM questions think Boris would phone in sick 🤣

I absolutely loved what he said about the average everyday person. It’s something I feel very strongly about. How symbolism at the top shouldn’t be taken too seriously and we shouldn’t get too excited about seeing Beyoncé and Obama and Denzel because these super talented fortunate people are the absolute exception. The real median life of the average black man or woman in society is very different and they deal with shit constantly

Well said John Barnes for speaking up against racism.

Well said John Barnes

best ever interview, i cant believe how much he touched on

I am the average black man in the street!!. And i totally agree with what John Barnes is saying to get to the root of the problem i would start educating the children in schools from a very young age. Because it's a family values and a culture divide. But if it is talked about and explain to children that (Racism) is wrong. Then it can help educate a whole new generation which will then filter through the generations to come. Listen it's not a over night process, but it's a process and untill we start to really get stuck in as a society to tackle this problem it will just continue to polute our world we live inn. We need to start dealing with the solution and stop focusing on the problem because we know sooooo much about that side of it already.

John spoke a lot of sense then, and does so now. The government could do a lot worse than asking him to head a team, to investigate and suggest ways to improve the situation which still persists to this day. (Plus he was a kick ass footballer!)

John Barnes - a real one.

For someone who grew up in the early 1980s, I have so much respect for John Barnes. Racism was rife in Britain, JB went out every weekend to play football, and had bananas thrown at him, and the most awful chanting. Listen to this guy, his thoughts count.

This man is so damn well spoken he should be the voice of minorities everywhere (as a brown person).

John Barnes putting the argument on the right path and on a whole different level, I think many of us would like to listen to him for more than 8 minutes on this subject .

Im a UEFA B qualified coach who was to by Brentford FC HR personal that i couldnt be even considered on shortlist because im BLACK its so rife i can go on about just my personal experiencies of racism. It really sucks seems we are still in the 17th Century !!

why isn't John barnes featured more in the media, firstly as a football analyst and after seeing this interview a social commentator. John you were brilliant on the field and now off the field and because of racism you were never allowed to achieve your true potential as a footballer. You are in the category of the greats like Pele and Maradona.

As a young man I saw John Barnes came on the pitch for England in 86 World Cup in the 75th minute and played the most sizzling 15 mins of football ever. That was his only appearance in the tournament rite up there with Diego Maradona. Everyone in Jamaica knew it’s because he was black y he wasn’t a main feature. Can’t say if John spoke out about it then but i saw Defoe and Bent got treated unfairly in later years. Some pundits tried to skin Stealing alive in this years World Cup thanks to Ian Wright he stop them in there tracks. And They butchered Mario Balotellis Career at City so it’s not just the fans.. Good one Raheem for not taking it quietly you spoke for future players as well.👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿

I don’t even watch football so i don’t even know who this John Barnes fellow is, but one thing for sure is he’s intelligent.

Good interview. John expressed his argument very well, and the Breakfast team gave him the respect by not interrupting him and then probing his argument by posing thoughtful questions. It should have gone on longer !

Brilliant responses He’s very articulate and well read

Somebody sent me this on whatsapp. I had tobcome on here and post a comment. I have a new respect for John Barnes, I always thought he was a coconut but you should never judge. So what he got kids with a white woman. This guy is speaking the truth, very intelligent and articulate 💯

John Barnes...Beautifully said !

Great delivery by John Barnes!! Be kind to each other!! 👍👍👍

The title of this video proves the BBC failed to grasp what John Barnes is saying about wider society

He articulated that very well, when the interviewers presented themselves as limp - question wise!

Wow, I could not have articulated that any better. That was superb. The only disappointment being it only has 618 views when over coverage of the exact same topic had tens of thousands. It makes you think if they censor real progressive though like this on purpose.

Very well articulated Mr Barnes. His voice needs to be heard more on this topic.

The disparity in the headlines, wow - that is clearly driven by something.

Ever time you speak you make so much sense .

Absolutely brilliant from John Barnes MBE. A well educated black man

So articulate & concise !!!Respect John

Thank you John Barnes, you speak the truth.

Well said and spot on John Barnes its the persective of an average black person on the streets should be changed racism is getting worse in London work places especially. I personally suffer it all the time as an Accountant i was told in my face i could be selected to work in certain companies because im black it HURTS that im being judged on the colour of my skin rather than my qualifications and skills!!!

Legend as a footballer... still LEGEND!!

Barnes is a legend. We won't fix this until we root it out of society altogether. Everything else is just tackling the symptoms and not the root cause.

Thank goodness for John Barnes and his brain and balls

John Barnes he was class with his feet and he's shown that what comes out of his mouth is class top man

I am impressed, a legendary English footballer expounds the experience of minorities suffering prejudice in society in a very articulate, insightful and lucid way. Even civil rights leaders often faff around and fail to express the struggle of their fellow man so clearly. Barnes is gifted, and way beyond his talented twinkle toes.

"It's not getting worse but because we didn't hear it , we thought it was getting better

Nailed it Mr Barnes!! BBC keep your excuses you could if you wanted spend many hours expanding on john's perspective but you didnt. More discussion is the answer, 8mins of discussion barely scratches the surface. Be Better BBC!!

As black man I have realised long time ago that I am living in the country of my slaves masters. These people brought and sold us in the millions over a 400 year period, I am not expecting them to change in 50 years.

Pure sense this man is talking

Well done John.. He's a better spokesman than a football manager it seems. But it is interesting to note that black sports ppl are more vociferous when they are retired from the game. The point i'm making is blk sports ppl have and do go through racism in the game but stay quiet to protect their career. Thats why Ali was so great and Eniola Aluko should get massive props for standing up with so much to loose. The fight goes on.

Articulated his point very well. He should get into politics

What a fantastic interview! 100% accurate Mr Barnes! Salute!

Mr John Barnes you spoke so well.

4:20 I hope people in America listens to this speech. Nobody in America talks about making changes within.

They must have been shocked, Barnes brought more than football..well done, my man

John barnes was the perfect person to get on bbc for this what a legend

John Barnes is spot on, intelligent man

John Barnes knows exactly what he's on about, Legend👊👌

Just watched this and hit home. Very well eloquently put by John Barnes. Everything he said is true and then some.

Respect to John Barnes for this!, Thanks

Damn... I never knew john barnes had such a solid mouth piece. He was dropping some good game.

don't understand the hate toward sterling

wow - love this! so well put.

Mate i can listen to him all day and gain so much knowledge

Well spoken John Barnes, proud of you..

I was a big fan of his as a player, and I'm a bigger fan now. Thanks, John.

Wow! So articulate and inspiring. Thanks Mr Barnes. Thrilling.

John Barnes is highly intelligent and learned

Wow, absolutely spot on, John. Speaking like a revolutionary.

It’ll never go away. prejudice is as normal as breathing. sad, but true.

Back here in 2021

oh that was just lovely, got me emotional a bit, amazing interview

Well said Barnes you are hitting the nail on the head. You are my hero. I mean Barnes was already my hero i support Liverpool because of barnsey but you have flown up in my ratings even more.

John Barnes always talks so much sense. He is spot on here

The interviewer also claimed "Going back to the time where people threw banana's on the pitch". Yet last weekend a Tottenham Hotspur fan threw a banana on the pitch at Aubamyang. It is really sad how people still have such small minded views, and unfortunately it will persist as they will impart these views onto their children.

Legendary on and off the pitch.

Very well articulated 👏

Barnes is the man. Never walk alone. Arsenal til i die but big respect to this legend

John Barnes I take off my hat for you. You sir are a living legend.

John Barnes --- always a class act.

Mr. Barnes Thank you!!

Shouldnt the title of this video be "racism in society still not improved"....the guy just explained everything in 8 minutes and bbc is still stuck in its ways

John Barnes talks to elegantly, I agree with everything he said

Like he gave the example of Piers Morgan, if Jeremy Clarkson was black would he have gotten another job any where else (mainstream media) after hitting the crew member?

I just came off the pierce Morgan hosted interview. Him constantly interrupting the black interviewees he had on. Gosh I can’t stand Morgan.

Can we stop using the word " alleged" or "allegedly". We all know what was said.

Start of with banning papers like daily mail and sun

Great words from our legend John

The comments here are very telling and reflects how uncomfortable viewing this has proved to be for some..

Well fuck me, who knew Barnesy knew so much stuff. Fair play. He's right too. These presenters were not ready for him challenging societal norms. Ha Haaa! Go on son!

john barnes thru all the racism he endured in his playing career i got the feeling he just soft soaped it and behaved like it did not matter having bannana thrown at you everytime he set foot on the pitch, i was disapointed he said next to nothing during his career

He was a big part of why I came to support Liverpool FC YNWA John barnes

What an articulate gentleman!!

We need more James Barnes in this world YNWA

Big up john Barnes facts all the way round ..historically our own history has been wiped out due to they not wanting to know our true self worth .. it’s beyond football