Anti-racism campaigns in football

The build-up to major tournaments is sometimes overshadowed by concerns about racism, as the Euro 2012 football championships in Poland/Ukraine showed us. Racism has again been brought into the spotlight recently as the most successful country in World Cup history, Brazil, prepares to host the tournament. Recent incidents involving Brazilian footballers have highlighted the issue of racism in Europe and Latin America.

Barcelona FC’s Daniel Alves recently responded to having a banana thrown at him during a Spanish league game by taking a bite. The hashtag #Weareallmonkeys trended on Twitter with politicians, players and members of the public protesting against racism by imitating the gesture and posting pictures of themselves eating bananas.

During a game in Peru two months earlier, another Brazilian player, Tinga, was confronted with monkey chants every time he received the ball. There was also a strong public reaction against the racial contempt and Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff, spoke out announcing that this year Brazil would be hosting ‘The Anti-Racism World Cup’.

Many agree that racism in football is a reflection of society. However, with its global appeal and influence, football finds itself in a unique position to tackle discrimination on and off the pitch.

Official policies on racism
For many it is the responsibility of the major football governing bodies to demonstrate zero tolerance towards racism.

Last year FIFA published a Resolution on the Fight against Racism and Discrimination, outlining the prevention and punishment measures “to be implemented at a global level”.
Harsh action targeting the teams is considered by some the only way to really hit back at perpetrators of racism with a strong message of zero tolerance. According to FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter, “It is not enough to give a fine…the best would be the deduction of points and the relegation of a team”.

In the meantime UEFA has been promoting a ‘No To Racism’ campaign. The slogan has featured at matches and in campaign videos which show iconic European footballers speaking out against racism. This led to a twitter trend, #SayNoToRacism through which the international online community has engaged in the fight against racism.

Organisations combating racism
Numerous organisations work against racism in football. Many highlight issues at the professional level while at the grassroots, projects use football to combat racial barriers and prejudices.

Organisations such as FARE and Kick It Out, encourage web-users to report cases of discrimination. There are also efforts to draw attention to cases of racism and put pressure on football authorities to take stronger action.

Others have a regional focus, developing expertise in certain socio-politically sensitive areas. For example, Fairplay coordinates the fight against football related nationalism, racism and discrimination in the Balkans. The Peres Center For Peace, also takes a grassroots approach against discrimination and runs football projects where Palestinian and Israeli children are united under the banner of sport.

Global grassroots organisations remain invaluable for uniting young people from different backgrounds and preventing the development of discriminatory attitudes and misconceptions. Campaigns fighting for zero tolerance have gained wide support, and hopefully the media attention on recent incidents and campaigning that takes place around the World Cup will help continue this momentum.

“Football is the biggest sport in the world and belongs to us all.” Fare