There Is Now No Hope At All Of Justin Fashanu Rejoining Norwich City

Interviews with Norwich City manager Ken Brown and with former Norwich player Justin Fashanu about his football career since moving to Nottingham Forest.

At Norwich City Football Club, players chat in the changing room. David Jones runs onto the pitch for his testimonial match in front of an evening crowd. Anglia Television sports reporter Gerry Harrison interviews Norwich City Manager Ken Brown who explains how a misunderstanding arose about the possibility that Justin Fashanu, previously a Norwich player and now at Nottingham Forest, might be available to play for Norwich again. Norwich City would not be able to afford the transfer fee. Playing in the David Jones Select XI is Justin Fashanu. He is interviewed by Gerry Harrison who asks how he would have reacted to the prospect of coming back to play with Norwich City. Justin says his first thought was to jump at the chance, having such good memories, but that things are not the same the second time round. Gerry then asks where is the old Justin Fashanu that Norwich people knew? Justin Fashanu replies that he is still there but trapped inside at the moment. He had four good years at Norwich with few problems, but he has had a considerable downer recently. He says he will overcome it through working and training hard, but he needs to retrack and build himself up again. He heard John McEnroe on the television talking about the hard work and repetition required, but Justin says there should be change. This video was made to be shown in a sports news story on Anglia Television early evening news / magazine programme About Anglia.

Keywords

Football; Sport; Change

Additional Description

Justin Fashanu began his football career as an apprentice with Norwich City, turning professional with Norwich in December 1978. In August 1981 he signed for Nottingham Forest, becoming Britain's first £1 million black footballer. In this interview he seems to be talking about his footballing form, but it is now known how difficult life was for him as a black man, and as a gay man. To protect himself and his career he was not able to speak openly. Justin Fashanu came out as gay in 1990, the first professional footballer to be openly gay. He took his own life in 1997.