Racism in football is more than just the racist gestures that we see on the pitches of football stadiums around the UK and Europe, it can be more subtle than this. Racism in football also includes:
– The use of racist language towards players and managers on and off the pitch.
– The lack of minorities in positions of power, such as Club Presidents and Club Owners.
– Racism in the stands.
– Racism in Football can also come through discrimination within football clubs, where minorities are excluded from jobs or opportunities to climb up the ladder within a club due to their ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. Discrimination is illegal in today’s society but it seems that certain areas of football are exempt from this rule.
Why does Racism exist? Racism exists because people like to discriminate against others who they think are inferior to them for whatever reason (e.g. skin colour, sexuality, etc.) Racists view others as inferior beings for no other reason than because they have different features/characteristics to themselves and this makes racists think that they can treat other people in a way which is unfair and unjustified. Racists don’t think about the consequences of their actions and how much damage their behaviour can cause to other people’s lives.
They just do what they want because they think it’s fun and it’ll hurt someone else. Racism is an opinion, not a fact! Racism has no place in society today and should be stamped out as soon as possible to prevent further discrimination within football and within our communities. Football should be all about inclusion, regardless of race, skin colour or sexuality, anyone should be able to play football with whichever team they wish.
What are examples of Racism? There are lots of different ways that racism can manifest itself in football:
1. Racists can target managers, players or fans with racist comments on the pitch, on social media websites, in the stands during football matches and so on. Players have even reported receiving death threats for missing a penalty or losing a game. Racism is not always physical abuse but it does include that too! Racists are cowards who think that they are more superior to others just because of their skin colour.
Racists can also use derogatory terms against other players over the touchline during games which causes huge amounts of offence to people who are watching at home or attending the match itself. Racists do not understand how much damage their words can cause whether they are said jokingly or seriously – they don’t see it as serious because they think that it’s just a bit of fun and there are no consequences for them. Racism is not a laughing matter and should be treated as such!
2. Racists can discriminate against players out there on the pitch by racially abusing them through the use of derogatory terms or gestures which have been used historically to offend those from different races, e.g. monkey chants, throwing bananas onto the pitch etc.. They think this is some sort of joke but they do not realise how much offence they are causing to those people who have had these things thrown at them throughout their lives due to discrimination – discrimination is wrong! Racism has no place within football today and anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong and needs to understand that racism is never justified.
Racism is discrimination, discrimination is wrong! Racists need to realise that there are no mitigating circumstances when it comes to racism.
3. The lack of inclusion in football stems from the fact that football clubs tend not to include minorities in positions of power within their organisations, for example they tend not to include women in positions of power within the club, this therefore excludes women who could potentially be having an input into decision making at any level (i.e. The boardroom).
If you don’t have people taking part in decisions which affect them then chances are they will never become influential within the organisation. This means that their views on how things should be done won’t be taken seriously by others around them – hence why they never get anywhere because they are excluded from the start, this is unfair! Racism has no place whatsoever in football.
4. Racists will try to change the views of others through propaganda which might include false information or evidence but it’s often exaggerated so that it can cause offence, e.g. saying that teachers are forcing their own religious/ethnic/sexuality views onto students when they’re not doing so at all and there is no truth in what these racists are saying, therefore creating an atmosphere where people think that such behaviour is acceptable when it isn’t.
This causes anger within society because people who have never engaged in such behaviours feel like they need to justify themselves since others around them behave in a certain way and might be judging them for something which they haven’t done! Racism has no place within society today.
Racism, discrimination; these are the notions of individuals who feel different to society. Racism is defined as ‘the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities or qualities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another racial group.’ (Oxford English Dictionary). Racism has no boundaries, touching people all over the world; in fact it is prevalent throughout society. Racism in football is not an easy topic to discuss because it involves talking about a game that most love and don’t wish to believe they can cause harm.
Accordingly, before I proceed let me remind you racism should be considered unacceptable anywhere at any time. In addition, there must be an end for this type of behaviour. Racism in football consists of offensive or insulting words towards an individual because of their skin colour, ethnicity, nationality or culture. Racism is considered unacceptable in today’s society, thus if any form of racism occurs within the confines of football grounds sanctions should be enforced. Racism has no place in the game and it must be eradicated to ensure equality among all players.
Racism in football is not just an issue faced by African players; however many African players still take responsibility for speaking out against these problems when they arise. For example, Micah Richards spoke about how he was racially abused during a Man City training session by teammates who hurled N-word insults at him (BBC Sport). However, despite this act of ignorance and Racism in Football having no place in the game, Racism is still a prominent issue in football.
For example, in Europe there have been many cases of Racism in Football such as Lazio (Roma supporters reportedly abused Cameroon player Samuel Eto’o), AC Milan (Kevin Prince-Boateng walked off field when opposition fans racially abused him) and Serbia (an under-21 match was abandoned due to alleged racist chanting). In addition, English national team captain John Terry was suspended for four matches and fined £220,000 ($390 000), while Liverpool’s Luis Suarez received an eight-match ban and £40 000 fine after being found guilty of using insulting words towards Manchester United’s Patrice Evra.
Racism is not only an issue in Europe, but it’s also prominent in Africa too. For example, former Zamalek SC player Marc Zoro was abused by fans of his own club when he walked off the pitch due to racist chants (BBC Sport). Racism has no boundaries, thus Racism in Football should be brought to everyone’s attention because there must be an end for this type of behaviour.