Anti-Racism in European Football
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ANTI-RACISM IN EUROPEAN FOOTBALL Mark Doidge, University of Brighton How does anti-racist activism by fans March 2014 challenge racism and xenophobia in European football This report presents analysis and recommendations on a study into anti-racism in European football. It addresses three case studies: Legia Warsaw in Poland, AS Roma in Italy and Borussia Dortmund in Germany. Anti-Racism in European Football Contents 1. Executive Summary 2 2. Introduction 5 3. Methodology 8 4. Anti-Racism Fan Movements 19 5. Summary 54 6. Bibliography 57 7. Appendix A – Racism in Society 61 8. Appendix B – Racism in the Stadium 70 9. Appendix C – The Importance of Institutional Support 79 10. Appendix D – The Dangers of Conflating Racism With 85 Other Forms of Anti-Social Behaviour Page 1 Anti-Racism in European Football 1. Executive Summary Football’s popularity is unsurpassed in global sport. It has the power to bring people of different backgrounds, ages and genders together. This can be through playing, watching or just discussing with friends. Despite this power to unite and bring people together, it also provides opportunities to differentiate yourself and your group from others through violence, abuse, racism and xenophobia. Racism is a pervading feature of contemporary European football. From Zenith St Petersburg fans declaring that their club should not sign anyone who was not Slavic to Juventus fans racially abusing Mario Balotelli, expressions of racism continue. They take different forms and are grounded in the rivalry that exists within football. Yet each of these expressions derives from different social and historical traditions and cultures. This report presents an analysis of how anti-racism fan-groups are attempting to combat racism in their club, city, or nation. It addresses three case studies: Legia Warsaw in Poland; Roma in Italy; and Borussia Dortmund in Germany. Each of the three case studies represents an apposite example of a large football club, but in each of the cases, racism and far-right extremism have occurred. Against this background, some fan groups are trying to tackle the problem of racism in a number of ways. For racism to be eliminated, it requires action from all sections of football, from the fans, players, clubs, security forces, national associations, international federations, media and politicians. UEFA and some national federations have taken a clear stance with sanctions, support for anti-racism campaigns, and reinforcing this clear message at games. This underlines how important anti-racism is, and removes it from club rivalries. Anti-racism campaigners, like FARE, Never Again, and Kick It Out, all have a significant place in the fight. They produce literature, guidance and training to help educate the various groups within the sport about the manifestations of racism and xenophobia in football. Monitoring, as undertaken by Never Again, is vital in order to combat one of the biggest challenges facing anti-racism campaigners: denial. Too often clubs and fans deny the existence of racism at their club and this inhibits any opportunities to tackle the problem. Care must be taken to ensure that racism is differentiated from far-right extremism. Page 2 Anti-Racism in European Football The clubs are central in supporting fans fighting racism. They act as the link between the federations and the fans. They need to be fully committed to eradicating racism and xenophobia from the stadium. Only if they are fully committed can they support the stewards, police and fan-groups that are challenging the problem. Borussia Dortmund (BVB) is a clear example of a club that has taken on board the anti-racism message. It distributes leaflets to all fans clearly explaining what racist and far-right slogans are not permitted in the stadium. They provide resources and space in the stadium for the BVB fan project to educate young fans on racism, intercultural learning and civil courage (how to deal with conflict without violence). Participants have a stadium tour afterwards to link the club explicitly with these sentiments. They also support the ultras’ initiatives to visit Auschwitz, including loaning the team coach. Also important is the use of star players, and the head coach Jürgen Klopp in promotional material aimed at addressing the problem. This was underlined by the club’s decision to take a far-right organisation to court to have the BVB logo removed from their website. This all signifies an unambiguous message that the club does not support racism, extremism and violence. Fans also have a responsibility to refrain from racism, but understanding fan culture is the key to combatting racism in the stadium. Not all racism is political and ideologically driven. Some of it is organic and comes from a reaction to events on the pitch. Often this fits into a wider fan culture of difference between fan groups. Fans seek to differentiate themselves from their rivals in whichever way they see fit; sometimes this is through skin colour, nationality or religion. Challenging this culture will be difficult, so clear guidance is required. Certain fan-groups, particularly some ultras groups want to be confrontational. They feel persecuted as the ultras mode of support is being challenged from various quarters. As a result they are deliberately doing the very actions that are attracting fines and closures. Much of this is linked to wider structural problems in football, both in Italy and Poland. As the authorities seek to clamp down on violence, pyrotechnics, and abuse, the ultras are resisting everything. Anti-racism needs to be separated from these other forms of anti-social behaviour in order to be effective, including territorial discrimination. Understanding racism on matchdays is important. Education of stewards and police is vital so that they recognise racism in the stadium and support fans trying to combat it. Monitoring is also very important to understand the extent of the problem and prevent denial by those in authority. The only proof that racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia are taking place is to monitor it and have valid quantitative and qualitative evidence. Care should be taken to ensure that racist and anti-Semitic flags and chants are recorded separately from Fascist ones. Never Again have established ‘best practise’ in both fields Page 3 Anti-Racism in European Football and it should be encouraged to be utilised in other leagues. Kick It Out in Britain has launched mobile phone apps to enable fans to report racist incidents. Educational projects need to be run by leagues and clubs on an on-going basis, not just around international tournaments. Football clubs need to take this initiative on board and speak to students and schoolchildren in relation to their various teams. In addition, the leagues need to take the initiative and present all teams together, so there is not the inter-club rivalry that may arise. Fan projects and kibice razem potentially provide the key to anti-racism. They operate at the nexus of the clubs, authorities, and fans. They need to be social spaces so that trust is built amongst fan project workers, volunteers, fans and parents. A range of activities should be encouraged to bring fans together and help break down barriers. This can include football tournaments, art events and job skills workshops. The importance of Fanrprojekts and kibice razem is that they also act as educational spaces where motivations for violence or racism can be discussed and explored. It is the quality of the events that are organised that can impact anti-racism. Getting to know the young fans as individuals helps the fan project to tackle the individual issues that lead some young fans to engage in anti-social behaviour. It is not just about building trust, but being able to target support. This then becomes a virtuous circle. As support is provided, the fans begin to trust the social worker. This requires dedicated interaction; the project workers have to speak to those who are causing the problems. Breaking down barriers and reinforcing the inclusive nature of football is fundamental. Shared common experiences help facilitate cross-cultural understanding and shared goals. Streetkick, and other football events help create this shared social space, and help remove the barriers that groups create. It is important to emphasise that football facilitates this contact; it is not just the contact that eradicates barriers and promotes understandings. Football is a powerful tool to bring people of different backgrounds together. Fan groups in all countries organise football sessions and football tournaments. The quality of the contact experience is what helps to remove barriers and promote cross-cultural understanding. Football becomes the focus, but education and anti-racism messages need to be explicit within these. Page 4 Anti-Racism in European Football 2. Introduction Football’s popularity is unsurpassed in global sport. It has the power to bring people of different backgrounds, ages and genders together. This can be through playing, watching or just discussing with friends. Despite this power to unite and bring people together, it also provides opportunities to differentiate yourself and your group from others through violence, abuse, racism and xenophobia. Racism is a pervading feature of contemporary European football. In December 2012, for example, the Landscrona group of fans of Zenit St Petersburg issued a statement calling for the club to sign only players from Slavic nations and Scandinavia (The Telegraph, 2012). Racist chanting has been heard also in other national leagues. AZ Alkmaar’s United States striker, Jozy Altidore, was subjected to persistent racist chanting from Den Bosch fans in January 2013 (Sharpe, 2013). The subject of racism was spectacularly exposed when Kevin-Prince Boateng, AC Milan’s Ghanaian midfielder, walked off the pitch after being targeted by Pro Patria fans (Scacchi, 2013).