《体坛周报》记者楼坚报道　“我难以理解，为什么中国会有人口问题？他们本来有最好的避孕方法——中国女人是世界上最丑的。”这样一句近年来西方公众人物在公开场合最猖狂的辱华言论，令人遗憾地出自英国足球界大名鼎鼎、地位尊崇的罗恩·阿特金森之口。阿特金森的辱华言论经《太阳报》、《每日镜报》及《天空电视台》报道后，引起了英国华人团体的强烈愤怒，他们对阿特金森进行了严厉的谴责，并要求阿特金森必须道歉。　　

罗恩·阿特金森

　　事件发生在20日晚的谢菲尔德希尔斯堡球场，15年前这里曾发生过著名的希尔斯堡球场惨案。而这次，在老牌俱乐部谢周三的筹款晚宴上，曾执教这家俱乐部、也是曼联前主帅(弗格森前任)的阿特金森，当着264名嘉宾的面进行了一个小时的演讲。就在这次演讲中，他讲述了这个令人恶心的“笑话”。
　　
　　事件经媒体披露之后，立即引发轩然大波。《太阳报》以《阿特金森晚宴上的新污点》为大标题报道了此事，并说“可耻的阿特金森再次把脚放到了自己的嘴里”。《每日镜报》也以《种族主义者罗恩再犯》为题进行了披露，并说“足球界反种族主义的支持者们被可耻的阿特金森最新一次胡说八道感到震惊”。《独立报》的标题很长：“大家都知道他蠢，但现在轮到陪审团来断定他究竟是种族主义者、性别歧视者还是两者都是了。”

　　这一方面，是因为这一评论实在“又种族主义，又性别歧视”，另外一方面，则是因为阿特金森在种族主义问题上已经有重大前科：去年4月，在为独立电视台ITV解说冠军联赛半决赛时，以为自己已经把麦克风放下的阿特金森居然直接骂当时的切尔西队长德塞利“一个他妈的懒黑鬼”。
　　
　　对于自己的最新辱华言论，65岁的阿特金森不仅没有像对德塞利事件那样迅速道歉，反而百般辩解：“我难以相信，有谁会对我说的任何话提出抱怨。我到那里只是帮助他们筹钱，我在那里待了很长时间，还帮他们拍了照片。我难以置信，就是难以置信。我现在简直什么都不能说了，我现在对每件事件都已经百般小心。那是一个很轻松的晚上，大家都在享受快乐的气氛。”

　　阿特金森“解释”说，当时他是在谈论1970年代随自己的俱乐部西布罗姆维奇访问中国的事情：“有一个西布罗姆球员被问到，他看到中国的长城有什么观感，这哥们回答道：‘你只要看过一堵墙(长城的英文是Great Wall，wall是墙的意思)，你就会觉得所有这些墙都没什么不同，”然后，这个笑话才脱口而出。他的经纪人戴维斯也表示：“我很震惊，我完全不认为他是种族主义者。”

　　参加了晚宴的谢周三队史专家霍华德证实了阿特金森当晚的言行，但为他辩解说：“罗恩当天主要是讲他的执教生涯，没讲什么笑话，但这个关于中国人的笑话我确实听说了。没有人感到受到了侮辱，实际上当场大家都还笑了起来。在此后有一个单口相声演员表演，他的一些嘲笑爱尔兰人、犹太人和有色人种的笑话比这更恶劣呢。我不认为任何人因为罗恩的话而受到侮辱。”

　　但霍华德的话遭到了另外一个在场者的驳斥：“我简直无法相信自己耳朵所听到的。我在想，考虑到过去12个月中发生在他身上的一切，他应该完全避免提到种族之类的任何事情。我的意思是说，这可不是一个容易避免闯祸的话题，是不是？我对他的天真和无知感到非常震惊。”

　　另外一些人则为中国女性的美丽名声辩护。种族平等权利委员会主席菲利普斯说：“如果他愿意，我个人非常愿意带他去看看《卧虎藏龙》和《十面埋伏》，两部电影都是由可能是世界上最美丽的女电影演员章子怡演的。我会挑战他有关中国女性丑陋的言论，阿特金森也许应该多出去走走。”

　　英国顶级模特儿公司“模特计划”的经理伦敦(Renton)评论说：“阿特金森不知道在说些什么。中国女人是世界上最美丽的女性群体之一。我们公司就有几个注册模特，她们非常漂亮，而且难以置信的勤奋。”

　　英国华人团体对于阿特金森的辱华言论非常愤怒。伦敦反种族主义组织的一个负责人Jabez Lam说：“这当然是侮辱性的，不仅仅是对中国人，也是对妇女的侮辱。”英国的一些华人社团要求阿特金森必须对此进行道歉！

英国《独立报》2005年1月24日评论文章《都知道他蠢，需要评判的是他是种族主义者，还是性别歧视者，或者两者都是》

They all agree he's stupid. But the jury's out on whether he's racist, sexist or both

Just when Ron Atkinson was trying to restore his reputation after his comments about the footballer Marcel Desailly, he's done it again
By Andrew Johnson and Helen McCormack
23 January 2005

The good news for Ron Atkinson is that few people believe his latest remarks - in which he insulted Chinese women - are racist. The bad news is that the disgraced former football manager and television pundit has been described as a sexist bigot, and any hopes he had of reviving his lucrative TV career are almost certainly over.

Big Ron, who perhaps should be renamed Big Mouth, landed in trouble after telling a joke on Friday night in which he labelled all Chinese women "ugly".

It comes just a few months after he accused the Chelsea defender Marcel Desailly of being "a fucking, lazy, thick nigger". That remark, broadcast live to the Middle East, cost Atkinson his television pundit's job and column in The Guardian, and earned him a new nickname, Ron the Racist.

Yet on Friday, speaking to more than 250 people at a fund-raising event at Sheffield Wednesday, one of his many former clubs, he said: "I can't understand why there is such a population problem in China as they have the best contraception going: Chinese women are the ugliest in the world."

The reaction has been mixed. Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, was not inclined to take Mr Atkinson's comment too seriously.

He said: "If he would like, I will personally take him to see Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and House of Flying Daggers, both of which star probably the most beautiful film actress in the world, Zhang Ziyi, and I'll defy him to tell me Chinese women are ugly. Ron Atkinson just needs to get out more."

Christine Yau, vice-chairman of the London Chinatown Chinese Association, said: "Ron Atkinson is hardly a Tom Cruise or Prince William - if he was, then perhaps Chinese women would be upset. His joke is bound to upset some people, but I just find it sad."

Mr Atkinson, who spearheaded the development of black players while manager of West Bromwich Albion in the 1970s, has consistently denied he is racist and apologised profusely for his remarks about Desailly. In an attempt to rebuild his career, he even appeared in a BBC documentary called Big Ron - Am I Racist? for which he joined a race awareness course in America.

In the programme, Mr Atkinson seemed bemused at the offence caused by the term "nigger" but seemed genuinely relaxed in black company.

Yesterday he was lying low at his home in Birmingham. But on Friday he said: "I cannot believe anyone has complained about anything I said. I went there to help them out and to raise money. I stayed for ages and did photographs. I just can't believe this. I can't say anything now. I've been ultra-careful about everything."

He is not entirely without friends, however. Max Clifford, the PR expert who has known Atkinson for some years, staunchly defended him, but added that his career was probably over.

"He's an easy target at the moment," Mr Clifford said. "It seems to me like the kind of joke I've heard comedians say for many years. But because it's Ron it can be construed as racist.

"The fact is that Ron Atkinson is not racist and a lot of black players would say the same. It's going to be incredibly difficult for him to revive his career now. It's going to be almost impossible for him to get back."

Other groups were in a less forgiving mood.

A spokesman for football's anti-racism campaign Kick It Out said: "This stuff is poisonous really. Essentially he really doesn't understand what he is doing in making these comments. They are deeply offensive. In this day and age you cannot make jokes about race."

Jabez Lam, of Min Quan, the Chinese arm of London's anti-racism organisation the Monitoring Group, said: "I think it shows how deeply rooted racism is in British society and the football industry. When people are in an environment in which they feel comfortable they make these kinds of jokes. Of course it is offensive, not just to the Chinese, but also to women."