A conspiracy against me

A Conspiracy against me…Calvin Plummer Edited by Pa Modou Faal

Calvin Plummer was a football professional born in Nottingham. Mr Plummer had his topflight footballing career with Nottingham Forest playing as a right winger under manager Brian Clough.

His rise to stardom became tainted when he was accused of agreeing as a “black player” to play in an unofficial tour of South Africa when the days of apartheid were rife and activism against “white supremacy” was stern. Plummer was criticised by the media and many activists for his alleged involvement in that tour. He was availed with the opportunity to speak to a crowd of over hundred men and women at a ceremony held at the Queen Walk Community Centre in the Meadows, Nottingham, during events marking the celebration of the 2019 Black History Month in October.

The concerned looking former Nottingham Forest professional said that there have been a lot of misconceptions regarding his trip to South Africa in 1982 and “I want to set the records straight here and make it very clear that my story was misconstrued and told wrongly”, he revealed. Mr Plummer said in these words:

“I was 18yrs, young, talented and wanted to play football. I was offered a contract by Brian Clough as the youngest and only black player to go to South Africa and represent black players among ‘white’ European players. I want to make this very clear that I was selected to represent black players”.

He said upon arrival in South Africa, they were taken to Soweto where they were supposed to play against the South African side Kaizer Chiefs.

“I was privileged to train alongside the likes of Mario Kempes of Argentina which I was very proud of as a young player. And when we walk on the streets of Soweto, the black community there treated me like a king, and they were very happy to see a black player amid top European players representing black people”.

He said he can still remember the cheers and support the people accorded to him when he was warming up on the side-lines. He said there was a telephone call that changed the whole narratives and unevenly rendered the equation. He said “I had this phone call and I was asked not to play because if I played all the players were going be banned from playing football. At this time, I felt disappointed but there was not much I could do than to comply and I did not play. Upon my return, there were journalists around and all of them asking question”. He said he knew he was innocent and was wrongly judged and represented because he just went to play football and he was not aware of the political situation then in South Africa.

Even though the same manager Brian Clough offered him a contract again at Forest and he continued playing, he said he still holds the belief that he is innocent, and his footballing career was rubbed off him as a result of fake and wrong news. Mr Plummer still has the conviction that he went to play football in South African and not in exchange for any token. “I did not even play any match because I was not allowed to”, he insisted. “The international political situation cost me my career through the controversies and conspiracies levelled against me, but I remain firm in my position”, he concluded.

AWATE EDUCATIONAL CENTRE

Awate Educational Centre is registered as a Limited Organisation in June 2019 in Nottingham. The centre which is housed at 200A on the Ilkeston Road, NG7 3HG, was created to educate, embolden, empower refugees, mainly from Eritrea, and help them integrate with the local community by getting them involved in different local events and programs.

Since its inception, the centre has quickly been serving its purpose as a meeting place for refugees, asylum seekers and members of Eritrean community living in Nottinghamshire. The traditional drawings and paintings in the centre remind them of their cultural diversity and serve as a benchmark for keeping them together. The centre provides activities for its members which include the provision of live sporting events on Tv, pool table among other local Eritrean in-door games.

The centre also conducts English language literacy classes to help those who find it difficult to settle in England as a result of language barrier. Awate Educational Centre also works with the City Council and other organisations to provide professional and legal advice to those in need especially in the areas of migration and asylum seeking.

The centre also organises movie nights showcasing films from different Refugee countries. Such sessions are followed by Q & A from a panel on how Nottingham can help with the current refugee crisis. As an emerging community in Nottingham, Awate works with Mojatu in creating community support activities and conversations with the view to keeping them abreast with their surrounding and providing them with helpful information in running the centre.

If you are interested in getting involved, please visit the Awate Centre on a Sunday for a chat, and great coffee.