Just what planet is former Manchester United Manager Ron Atkinson living on?

The player-turned-manager-turned-broadcaster ?whose mouth apparently moves faster than his brain ?is in the middle of a new racist controversy.

Actually, there¡¯s no controversy about it. Atkinson is clearly a bigot. He might have been able to kick a soccer ball ?maybe even motivated others to do so for a while ?and might have made occasional astute observations about the game on television or in newspaper columns until he was canned for racist comments about a black soccer star.

Now Atkinson has done it again, this time insulting an entire race, in particular, the fairer sex of that race: Chinese women.

At a fund-raising event for one of his former football clubs, Sheffield, a few days ago, Atkinson stepped out of his role as a ¡°sporting?expert to comment on ¡°world affairs? Apparently thinking he could wow his audience with his knowledge of global population matters, he told those gathered at the event that ¡°the Chinese people have the best contraception in the world ?but I can¡¯t understand why there¡¯s so many of them because their women are so ugly.?

For starters, such a comment is so repugnantly racist one might wonder if Atkinson was drunk, or suffering from some psychological malady. Apparently not. He went on to make matters even worse by defending his words.

¡°I cannot believe anyone has complained about anything I said,?he told reporters. ¡°I went there to help them out and to raise money. I stayed for ages and did photographs.

¡°I can¡¯t believe this,?he said, according to The Age of Australia. ¡°I just can¡¯t believe this. I can¡¯t say anything now. I¡¯ve been ultra-careful about everything. It was an easy evening and everyone enjoyed themselves.?

Indeed, to add insult to injury, he plopped another slur into the simmering pot, this one targeting China¡¯s beloved national symbol. He recalled how, when on a visit to China in the late 1970s, one of his players was asked what he thought of the Great Wall: ¡°Once you¡¯ve seen one wall, you¡¯ve seen them all,?said Atkinson, 65, chuckling at this ¡°joke?

This is the Neanderthal who was forced out as ITV¡¯s football analyst in April of last year after calling Chelsea defender Marcel Desailly a ¡°f¡ªing lazy nigger? He also lost a plum job as a sport pundit for The Guardian over that hateful epithet.

A spokesman for soccer¡¯s anti-racism campaign, Kick It Out, has responded to Atkinson¡¯s buffoonery: ¡°This stuff is poisonous really. Essentially he really doesn¡¯t understand what he is doing in making these comments. They are deeply offensive.?

And top Chinese football players have angrily denounced Atkinson.

¡°This guy should really have never said this; he should be condemned and attacked,?veteran Chinese national striker Hao Haidong said. Hao has been in contract negotiations to join Sheffield. ¡°I heard he is a habitual offender, but this kind of conduct, I think, really doesn¡¯t represent the majority. He is a special case. What this guy said really shows how unmodern he is... this kind of person should be beaten black and blue and made to tho-roughly shut up.?

Manchester City midfielder Sun Jihai said Atkinson¡¯s comments may have to do with jealousy over China¡¯s rising global economic and political status.

I doubt it. I don¡¯t think Atkinson¡¯s well-informed enough to know about China¡¯s new role or heft in world affairs. He still believes Hong Kong¡¯s a British territory.

¡°This guy is no good. Does he think that only whites are special??Sun told reporters.

Perhaps.

But what this episode shows is that toxic people exist in all echelons of life. Whether they¡¯re from the sporting world, government, religion, journalism, or education, they cannot be excused as just Old Rons. They must be educated into understanding their hate. If they refuse to ¡°get it? then they should be shamed into enlightenment.

For your part, Mr Atkinson, you¡¯ve disgraced yourself, your sport and your nation. When it comes time for approving visas for the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, I hope you¡¯ll pass up the event. But if you don¡¯t, here¡¯s hoping your application somehow gets lost in the shuffle.

Oh, and by the way, Ron, Chinese women are the most beautiful in the world. Just thought I¡¯d clear that up.