Racism and Xenophobia in Modern Soccer 2005, Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto’o is playing for Barcelona, in an away game versus Spanish club Zaragoza. While retrieving a ball from the sidelines, Zaragoza fans began to chant monkey noises and throw trash at the player; he then attempted to storm off the field, only to be stopped and consoled by his teammates. The three-time African footballer of the year went on to finish the game, assisting a goal in Barcelona’s 2-0 win. In soccer, players are often subject to abuse from fans or other players because of the color of their skin or where they’re from. Racism is a major problem in soccer, yet it is generally ignored by fans and world organizations alike, and is not taken seriously. Soccer is such
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These sections are intended to provide solid background information, provide possible solutions, and relate the sport’s problem of racism to racism on a global scale. I will present my proposed solutions and attempt to explain the complexities of each. The first solution section will explain the ineffectiveness of awareness programs put forth by FIFA and other soccer organizations. This will include several different campaigns that have been put forth, how and why they may have failed, and how they can be improved upon. In the next section, I will explain how improved training for stadium security officials can help combat racism in the stands as well as on the field. For the third section, I will explain the leniency of FIFA’s punishments towards players and fans who are involved in racist incidents. Lastly, I will attempt to do …show more content…
This has included FIFA and UEFA, Europe’s two largest governing bodies of soccer, as well as large organizations with close ties to soccer, such as Nike and Adidas. Programs such as “Kick it Out” and “Football Unites, Racism Divides” were installed in England after the government’s failure to eliminate racism in Britain. They believed that eliminating racism from football could cause a cultural change throughout England (Earl 5-6). Even with these programs being put into place, racism continues to plague the sport. “While there are no reliable statistics on the subject of antisemitism, racism and sports, the reported incidents make it clear that this is an ongoing societal problem that needs urgent attention” (Pallade, Villinger, and Berger 12). Since these programs have begun, there have been many major instances of racism on the field. These incidents were not just limited to small leagues; they included the top leagues around Europe, most notably the English Premier League and the Italian Serie A. When asked, many fans believe that racism is not a major problem in modern soccer. There tends to be a mindset that racism is blown out of proportion and that it is not as big of a problem as everyone seems to think. Instead of
These sections are intended to provide solid background information, provide possible solutions, and relate the sport’s problem of racism to racism on a global scale. I will present my proposed solutions and attempt to explain the complexities of each. The first solution section will explain the ineffectiveness of awareness programs put forth by FIFA and other soccer organizations. This will include several different campaigns that have been put forth, how and why they may have failed, and how they can be improved upon. In the next section, I will explain how improved training for stadium security officials can help combat racism in the stands as well as on the field. For the third section, I will explain the leniency of FIFA’s punishments towards players and fans who are involved in racist incidents. Lastly, I will attempt to do …show more content…
This has included FIFA and UEFA, Europe’s two largest governing bodies of soccer, as well as large organizations with close ties to soccer, such as Nike and Adidas. Programs such as “Kick it Out” and “Football Unites, Racism Divides” were installed in England after the government’s failure to eliminate racism in Britain. They believed that eliminating racism from football could cause a cultural change throughout England (Earl 5-6). Even with these programs being put into place, racism continues to plague the sport. “While there are no reliable statistics on the subject of antisemitism, racism and sports, the reported incidents make it clear that this is an ongoing societal problem that needs urgent attention” (Pallade, Villinger, and Berger 12). Since these programs have begun, there have been many major instances of racism on the field. These incidents were not just limited to small leagues; they included the top leagues around Europe, most notably the English Premier League and the Italian Serie A. When asked, many fans believe that racism is not a major problem in modern soccer. There tends to be a mindset that racism is blown out of proportion and that it is not as big of a problem as everyone seems to think. Instead of