Football and racism

Football is a harmonious sport. It can potentially transcend the barriers of nationality, race, culture, and religion.

But there are physical and psychological altercations that ruin it. And recently, a few disturbances scarred the spirit of the game ― poor sportsmanship, racial insensitivity, and indefensible rudeness.

The Federation International de Football Association (FIFA) has constantly tried to ban racism. And in every match since the 2006 World Cup in Germany, FIFA has conducted a “Say No to Racism” campaign. However, the reality has been very different. Racism happens quite a lot in European football leagues in which a colonial view of history is rampant.

On Sept. 15, 2012, Park Ji-sung, captain of Queens Park Rangers, took a stand against racism in one of the most watched sports in the world: Park and Anton Ferdinand, QPR defender, both refused to shake hands with John Terry who is captain of Chelsea FC. Last October, Terry became embroiled in a controversy because he hurled a racial slur at Ferdinand. During the game, Terry made an offensive remark to Ferdinand because of his color.

After that Terry was deprived of his England National Football Team’s captain armband. In July, however, Westminster Magistrate’s Court in London ruled that Terry was not guilty on the grounds of insufficient evidence.

Since then, time has passed, but the emotional baggage still remains unpacked between Ferdinand and Terry.

Ethnic slurs stem from white supremacy deep-rooted in football that has been expanding and fueling cultural ignorance and insensitivity. It occurs from not only among mean-spirited players but also avid fans. Their main expressions to disparage non-Anglo players are as follows:

They tend to think that black people have low intelligence and compare them to animals. In 2006, when FC Barcelona’s leading scorer Samuel Etoo dribbled the ball, visiting team fans made mocking monkey calls.

Anti-Semitic jeers for Jewish players include making a gas sound, while shouting, “Send him to the gas chamber!”

For Asian players, a common insult is “yellow chicken.” As they discriminate against the Asian players on the pitch, they tend to flap their arms like a chicken’s wings. And while Seol Ki-hyun was playing for Reading FC, opposing fans shouted, “DVD!” in reference to many Asians who sell DVDs in the street.

This cultural insensitivity in football was not seen as a severe problem at first because foreign players who entered Euro’s major football league were relatively rare. However, in 1995, after the adoption of the “Bosman Ruling,” which enabled free transfers and abolished foreign player limitations, disparaging expressions and behavior have spread due to the increasing number of foreign players.

In order to root out hatred on the pitch, various campaigns have been underway, but they haven’t worked effectively so far.

First, players were encouraged to wear the “No Racism” uniforms during specific games. The England National Team wore the anti-discrimination slogan “Kick It Out.” The Netherlands, Russia, and Portugal National teams also wore special black and white uniforms to promote racial harmony. And in the Bundesliga, Germany, all the players wore a uniform with the message “All my friends are foreigners.”

Secondly, many of Europe’s top football players joined in producing TV ads to create cultural awareness. The ads were aired in the major football markets of England, Spain, Germany, and Italy. The ads solicited fan participation; they purchased a black and white wristband engraved with the phrase “Stand Up, Speak Up” to donate profits to the Anti-Racism Movement Fund.

Thirdly, the federation imposed strict sanctions. FIFA announced a “No to Racism Day” on July 7 every year. The league also implemented an aggressive policy to revise its regulation Article 55 regarding non-discrimination. If players racially discriminate against others, the team loses a winning point as a sanction. Also before each match, FIFA requires both team captains to shout on behalf of players the slogan “Say No to Racism.”

We should take it a step further. If insensitive players discriminate against others during the game, they should be penalized by being kicked off the pitch. In addition, they should work at an orphanage in the country of the player they have offended for a month. There may be effective ways of eliminating racial discrimination on the pitch through the above continuous efforts, but it takes time to change perceptions.

Football is not merely a sport but a crucial medium for our determination, hopes, and dreams. It doesn’t make sense to discriminate against anyone based on race because we all take part in a race called life. We are all members of the same race. We are all part of the human race.

The writer is a sports fanatic and a Ph.D. candidate in sports management at Kookmin University. His e-mail address is sportskhs@naver.com. <The Korea Times/Kim Hyung-seok>