Tackling racism in club football - uefa.com · In 2003, UEFA and FARE jointly published a good practice guide for tackling racism in European football following the first Unite Against

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Tackling racism in club footballA guide for clubs

UEFA Media Servicestel: +41 848 04 27 27fax: +41 22 707 28 38email: [email protected]

Produced by FARE for UEFA

second unite against racism conference

www.farenet.org

UAR_Tackling_Racism_9.08.2006.qxd 1/11/06 09:01 Page 1

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1. About this guide 05

2. What is racism? 07

3. Tackling all forms of racism 08and discrimination

3.a Dealing with homophobia 10and sexism

4. Running a club-specific 12campaign – Ground rules for action

4.a Setting up working groups 14

4.b Education through symbolic 15activities

4.c Anti-racism days 17

4.d Using players and 18managers/coaches

4.e Activities in schools 19

5. FARE action weeks 20

5.a Keeping the flag flying 21

6. Working with fans 22

6.a Dealing with far-right fans 24

7. Stewarding and policing 26

8. Working with ethnic minority 28communities

8.a Ethnic minorities as fans 30

8.b Increasing opportunities 31for ethnic minorities

9. Using the media 32

10. The partnership between 34UEFA and FARE

ContentsPage Page

©UEFA 2006. All UEFA names and logos are registered trademarks of UEFA. All rights reserved.

Photographs: Arsenal Football Club, Empics, Getty Images, Kick It Out, People Against Racism (Slovakia), Reuters, UEFA, Woods.

Designed and printed by Works Ltd, Leeds (England).


In 2003, UEFA and FARE jointlypublished a good practice guidefor tackling racism in Europeanfootball following the first UniteAgainst Racism conference atChelsea FC in London. The guidelooked at the issues facingnational associations and reportedon activities being undertaken bykey actors in European football.

In 2003, the need to tackle racismwas already understood as anissue the European game neededto address with vigour. Since then, the political and sportingenvironment has moved it furtherup the agenda.

Within the game, there has beenconcern about players who havebeen abused at the highest level;in some countries, far-right andneo-Nazi activities aroundstadiums have become moreevident, and prominent individualshave made abusive commentsthat have been broadcast aroundthe world.

These incidents have led toconcerns at a political level, with governments seeking tointervene to encourage andsupport the process of tacklingracism and discrimination.

Earlier this year, the EuropeanParliament passed a resolutionnoting that protection fromdiscrimination for reasons ofethnic origin or nationality is afundamental objective of theEuropean Community. The “Independent Review ofEuropean Sport” also noted in itsreport that, “it cannot be ignoredthat sports events have oftenwitnessed outbreaks of racismand xenophobia” and urged action from the football family.

Club football is at the heart of oursport. The clubs themselves, theirplayers and fans make the newsweek in, week out for most of theyear. It is where many of the mostdynamic developments in thegame take place. And it is at clublevel that action to tackle racismbears most fruit.

The main issues for clubs areidentified as the need to tackleracial abuse and institutionalexclusion above all, and then to ensure that we are working to integrate minority and migrantcommunities. This guide sets outwhat can be done and how.

The guide has been developedfollowing the second Unite Against Racism conference at the Camp Nou, Barcelona, in February 2006. The practicesuggested here is tried and testedor practical enough to be adaptedto the needs and operatingenvironments of most clubs.

It would be impossible to includeall examples of good practice in a document of this kind, so thefocus is on setting out broadprinciples and advice, with a few relevant examples. It is to all intents and purposes a startingpoint that will help us to reach our collective goal of a sport thatis free of discrimination and anexemplar for the ideal of a multicultural Europe.

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About this guide1.


What is racism?Racism is the belief in thesuperiority of a race, religion orethnic group. It is most commonlyexpressed through less favourabletreatment, insulting words orpractices which cause disadvantage.

It can occur intentionally, or through a lack of understandingand ignorance. It may manifestitself openly or covertly. It occursat all levels of an industry ororganisation – within football it may range from fans hurling racialabuse to exclusionary practices bygoverning bodies of all levels, clubsor other partners of the game.

Racism is a problem acrossEurope with ethnic minorities and immigrants usually the focusof abuse, harassment anddiscrimination. In many parts ofEurope, minorities subjected toracism will be those fromneighbouring countries or regions.

In West European nations, victims are often citizens of formercolonies, originating from Africa,the Caribbean or Asia, or have abackground as migrant workers.

There also remain forms of racism that are centuries old.These include racism towardsJews (anti-Semitism), Romacommunities and nationalminorities. In recent years there has been a growth in Islamophobia,resulting in attacks anddiscrimination against Muslims.

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2.


racism and discriminationDealing with some forms of racism is straightforward but it is not as easy to deal with issuesthat may have the tacit support of the majority population or arenot clearly visible through beingdirected at players on the field of play.

Other forms of discrimination, such as sexism and homophobia,are also common in the game.Homophobia can be defined as an irrational fear and intolerance of homosexuality, gays, and lesbians.

In all European countries, 'gay' hasbecome a synonym for everythingfans dislike. Homophobia andsexism for many fans is simply anintegral part of footballing culture.

It might seem daunting tounderstand how a club could tacklea problem that has arisen fromgenerations of conflict or a historythat refuses to go away. The adviceis simple. Understand the issues asthey affect your club and seeksimple but humane ways ofresolving them. Where an issueextends beyond football, contributewhat you can to resolving conflict.

Racism is not difficult tounderstand. It manifests itself indifferent forms but the core issuesremain consistent.

The most common and easilyidentifiable forms of racism infootball are those directed at blackplayers. Other issues include abuseon the basis of backgrounddirected at, for example, Muslims,Jews or the Roma community.

It is also mirrored in footballthrough the lack of equalrepresentation of minorities in thegame; the systematic exclusion ofRoma communities at all levels ofthe game is one example.

Anti-Semitism remains an issue in parts of the continent. In somecountries, the Jewish communitycontinue to be blamed for problemsdespite a presence and influencethat is far smaller than mythologysuggests. It is not uncommon tosee neo-Nazi symbolism and anti-Semitic slogans inside and outsidefootball stadiums.

In some Central and East Europeancountries, systematic discriminationagainst the Roma is reflected infootball through racial abuse andthe development of parallel playing structures.

In the Balkans, extreme nationalismhas led to wars and conflicts thatwill take generations to overcome.In these regions football is all toooften divided along ethnic lines.Religious hatred manifests itself inmany forms in Scottish andNorthern Irish football with ongoinganti-Catholic and pro-Republicanchanting and violence at footballmatches in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

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Tackling all forms of 3.


homophobia and sexismHomophobia in football is carriedby invisibility and silence.

There is not a single player in theEuropean professional leagueswho is openly gay. There arehomophobic and anti-homosexualslogans and chants in moststadiums across Europe.Homosexuality continues tobe regarded as a taboo and a provocation.

The reason players have not comeout is because the structures ofthe game of football are not seenas tolerant enough for a player torisk coming out. In order to reachthat point, football will need torecognise that lesbian and gayplayers exist and are a welcomepart of our sport.

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Dealing with3.a

The activities of The FA in England may serve as good practice for otherEuropean associations in the fight against homophobia. Among the keyparts of its strategy are visibility (e.g. through good practices, conferences,roundtables, PR campaigns), participation (e.g. by creating grassrootsorganisations and support committees), training and education(e.g. of coaches, managers, referees), rules and regulations (e.g. raising the visibility of abuse and discrimination), and evaluation and monitoring.

Five-point plan against homophobia

The FARE network has been working with theEuropean Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation and in2005 adopted a five-point plan for fighting sexism and homophobia:

1 Putting sexism and homophobia on theagenda - Underpinning all action is the need toacknowledge that sexism and homophobiaexist in football.

2 Taking collective responsibility - The abuseassociated with sexism and homophobiaaffects everybody in football, not justhomosexuals and women.

3 Focusing our work - The development ofwomen’s football has resulted in increasedidentification and respect - The existence of homosexual role models could help freefootball of its taboos.

4 Giving examples of good practice - Presentingthe diversity of the game by reporting onwomen’s football, gay and lesbian involvementas the norm.

5 Reporting homophobia - All abuse should bereported for action through sanctions whereveror by whoever the abuse occurs.


Ground rules for actionEvery football club has a uniquehistory, traditions and socialcontext. The most effectivechallenges to racism are club-specific campaigns thatrecognise this context andaddress problems that are presentin the locality or region.

Not all clubs face the sameproblems and so it follows thatthe solutions should be tailoredto specific needs.

It is possible to set out somebasic guidelines and ideas for tackling racism.

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Running a club-specific campaign - 4.

• UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM – It is easy to argue that issuessuch as racism are not within the domain of your club, that theyare broader societal issues which should be left to otherauthorities. Most clubs will find it helpful for key staff to undergoan awareness training programme.

• BE CLEAR ABOUT YOUR OBJECTIVES – Are you running acampaign to tackle racist chanting, or to reach out to local ethnicminority communities, or both? Develop principles for action thatcan be widely publicised, that all internal and externalstakeholders within the club can support. Encourage publicityand ownership of these ideas.

• WRITE A PLAN OF ACTION – Include practical outcomes forimplementing your objectives. Use the UEFA ten-point plan as abasis for the measures your club can take. Set targets forprogress and monitor regularly.

• DEVELOP A CLEAR IDENTITY for your campaign, to helprecognition and spread ownership among supporters. You maywish to develop a specific brand name.

• MONITOR AND REPORT PROBLEMS – Develop systems formonitoring and reporting racial abuse and discrimination in allareas of your club.

• PARTNERSHIPS – Work with fans, players, stewards, NGOs andcommunity organisations with expertise in the field to implementyour action plan. Make sure you involve ethnic minority andmigrant communities.

• FAN CULTURE - Use the culture and traditions of fans to help getyour message across. Use message boards and other mediaassociated with fans.

• USE YOUR ICONS – Draw on the support and appeal of playersto endorse anti-racist and anti-discriminatory messages.

• MEDIA ACTIVITIES – Work with the media to publicise your activities.

• ENCOURAGE NEW AUDIENCES – Work towards making yourclub as open as possible. Take specific measures that encourageethnic minorities, migrants and women to get involved as fans,players and employees.


To help steer your anti-racismwork it may be useful to set up apartnership that involves a rangeof representative groups meetingregularly to advise on the directionof your activities.

These types of groups can bringadvice and ideas to your work and help gain the trust of sceptics. They should be led by adesignated member of themanagement team who attendsand acts as a liaison person.

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Setting up working groups4.a

Rangers FC has an in-house Sectarian and Racism MonitoringCommittee comprising key officials from within the club. Its function is tomonitor relevant matters as they affect football in general and Rangers FCin particular. The committee meets monthly and ensures that Rangers FCconstantly challenges inappropriate behaviour at matches.

The committee has also been instrumental in an ongoing ”Pride OverPrejudice” initiative, an official policy statement, a “Blue Guide” for fans to follow, internal and external ten-point plans for employees and fans respectively, terms and conditions for season ticket holders,poster advertising on internal concourses, trackside advertising, etc.

Education through symbolic activities

4.b

Anti-racism and anti-discriminationactivities are about education in the widest sense. People dislike,mistrust or abuse those that aredifferent because of attitudesdeveloped through popularmisconceptions. Myths, fears and prejudices are all fuelled by external forces.

Football provides unique opportunitiesto challenge racism inside stadiumsand to contribute to the changing of attitudes at large.


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Among the most successful waysof doing this are through actiondays, in which a club useselements of the match day to sendout messages in favour of diversityand against racism.

Activities with players will raisecuriosity among fans and themedia. These might include playerswarming up or entering the field of play wearing T-shirts with amessage on them, players holdingup red cards against racism (other messages can also be usedhere) or lining up behind a banner.All of these activities are easy todo and are effective.

In Norway, Scotland and Slovakiaanti-racism day activities includeplayers showing racism the red card.

During the FARE action week, twoUEFA Champions League matchdays are dedicated to anti-racism.Young people wear Unite AgainstRacism T-shirts and line up in frontof players just before kick-off.

The “Fair Play, Different Colours,One Game” campaign involvingthe Austrian Bundesliga producedanti-racism team posters with all20 professional clubs. During theFARE action week an entire roundhighlighted the fight against racismin and through football.

Official club websites are amongthe most popular sources ofinformation for fans, whether theyattend games or not. A pressrelease and other informationshould be prominently posted tohighlight the game.

Where they are produced, match-day programmes should carrymessages from the coach andplayers underlining the message.

Tannoy announcements play animportant and highly effective rolein explaining activities that aretaking place.

Many clubs have encouraged and supported their fans to usechoreographic displays to spellout anti-racism messages or holdup banners across a section of thestadium. Fans have also beeninvolved in distributing leaflets orfanzines during the FARE actionweek. Initiatives of this kind shouldbe supported and encouraged.

Some clubs organise multiculturalhalf-time entertainment; if this isplanned well crowds will be very supportive.

A fuller guide to organising anti-racism or anti-discriminationdays is available from FARE.

Anti-racism days4.c


Enlisting the support of playersand managers/coaches, who arethe icons of the game and oftendirect victims of racism, is crucialfor changing the views of fans andother players.

Clubs should encourage theirplayers to speak out in the mediawhen an incident takes place as a means of driving a messageagainst intolerance home with force.

An appearance by a player at acommunity event or school willoften do more to communicate the message than months ofcampaigning can achieve. Across Europe players havesupported work in schools andhelped to produce videos andother materials.

FIFPro, the international federationof player unions, has becomeactive in the fight against racismand is supporting anti-racismprojects worldwide.

In the Hungarian football leagues,the Ethical Committee has advisedclubs to invite a person of highreputation and popularity (e.g. a former top player of theclub) to address the crowd byloudspeaker should racist incidents occur.

The player unions in Portugal(SJPF), England (the PFA) andScotland (SPFA) have longunderstood the impact racism has in the game and have beeninstrumental in initiating andsupporting campaigns that havebeen taken up by their members.

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4.d

Activities in schoolMost NGOs active in the area ofrace and football produce resourcematerials for local schools. Clubs can either support theseresources or work with educationauthorities to produce their ownmaterials. They all draw on theappeal of the game throughvideos, DVDs or CD-ROMs to geta message across to young peoplein an accessible way.

Many also run school competitionsthat are enormously popular.Competitions are a regular featurein England, Germany, Norway and Scotland.

As part of the “dem ball is’ egal”project, the Schalker Fan Initiativehas produced an innovative CD-ROM which has beenextensively used by schools in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany.

The “Show Racism the Red Card”campaigns in England, Norwayand Scotland have used schoolcompetitions and resources suchas videos to develop educationalprogrammes in classrooms.

4.e Using players andmanagers/coaches


FARE action weeksFARE has held six Europe-wideweeks of action against racismand discrimination during whichthe football family works with localpartners, NGOs, fan groups andnational associations to organiseactivities in professional andcommunity football.

The 2006 week of action takesplace from 17 to 30 October.

In 2005, for example, FAREworked with representatives from 35 different countries. The activities increased, with newgroups from Eastern and CentralEurope, including those from the former Soviet Union and the Balkans.

Greater involvement with groupssuch as the Roma minority inEastern Europe was anencouraging feature of theactivities. One of the manysuccessful stories this year wasthe partnership between theMahatma Gandhi Human RightsOrganisation and clubs in Hungarywith a historical far-right following.

More fan groups are now organisingthemselves to challenge racism. In Spain, following a season inwhich racism in football hit theheadlines, ultra groups have cometogether for the first time to planjoint activities. In France, the“Réseau Supporter de RésistanceAntiraciste” organised highly visibleactivities. In Germany, groups fromBayern Munich, Werder Bremen,Hannover 96, Schalke 04, 1860Munich and Fortuna Düsseldorfwere active during home matches.In Italy, ultra groups across thecountry organised anti-racistchoreographic displays.

Since 2003, FARE has workedwith clubs and supporter groups in Serbia and Montenegro toorganise regular anti-racism matchdays. In addition, thousands ofleaflets are handed out bysupporters of the clubs. In 2005,the highlight was the Red Star vPartizan Belgrade derby.

Full details of action weeks areavailable on www.farenet.org

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5.

Keeping the flag flying5.a

Clubs should be proud of their stance against racism and maintain a high visual presence throughout the season. This can be donethrough banners and pitch-side boards, as recommended within the UEFA ten-point plan, or through messages in programmes, public announcements or on official stationery.


It is often said that supporters are the lifeblood of football, thatthe game would lose its appealwithout them. In the area of anti-discrimination, fans are importantfor understanding racism infootball stadiums.

The patterns of fan support differacross the continent – in somecountries fan groups are themeans through which individualsupporters relate to their club,they have a major say in how fansrespond to issues. In othercountries fans consume the gameon a more individual level.

As the perpetrators of overt racialabuse, fans are the cause of theproblem, but they are also at thecentre of a culture that offerssolutions. For this reason alone,their involvement in your work is critical.

In countries such asEngland and Germany, many of the challenges to racist behaviour have beeninitiated by fans who wanted tostop the abuse they were hearingaround them.

They did so by running their owncampaigns or urging their clubs totake action. The best anti-racistcampaigns will work with supportersto spread ownership, help deliverthe message and encourage self-policing. Fans should believethat the message has bothrelevance and importance forthem. Fans’ knowledge of theirown culture, the approach to betaken, the words to use, and theactions you are planning, are allimportant ingredients for success.

The stands are seen as the spaces inhabited by andbelonging to fans. Peer pressure,whether it is led by organisedterrace groups or simply throughthe shared bond of supporting thesame team, runs through football.

The values and norms championedby the group identity is the mosteffective way of dealing with racist fans.

Initiate a culture in which fansunderstand why racism needs tobe challenged and are active indoing so through peer pressureand self-policing takes over as themost effective way of doing so.

If you are setting up a workinggroup, ensure that fans areinvolved. This can be donethrough individuals or throughtalking to group representatives.There may be resistance at firstbut if your message is clear andinclusive others will understandand begin to support your work.

The fanzines and websites of fangroups provide a useful barometerof the current debates takingplace. Forward-thinking fans willoften be involved in debatingissues and ensuring they aredoing all they can to make surethe message is being heard.

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Working with fans6.


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In a number of countries, the politics of the far right arebeing played out regularly insidefootball stadiums. This may takethe form of fan groups affiliatingthemselves with far-right views orthrough individual fans who maybe members of such groupsattending matches.

Paolo di Canio recently justified a right-hand salute given with astraight arm, known in Italy as theRoman salute, by saying that hewas “a fascist but not a racist”.

If they are within the scope of the law, all individuals are entitledto their private political views. But we should recognise that somepolitical views will encourageprejudice and discriminationagainst minority groups. And someright-wing groups will also placethe paraphernalia of neo-Nazismon a pedestal.

Far-right groups can often beidentified through the symbolsused on banners, T-shirts andbadges. Some symbols may bewell known – such as the Celticcross or perversions of theswastika – but others can beesoteric and difficult to identify.For help in identifying thesesymbols contact FAREwww.farenet.org

The most obvious symbols, such as the swastika, will be illegalin some countries, but regardlessof legality, the UEFA ten-point planasks clubs to be alert to thesetypes of symbols and to erasethem where they appear in graffiti.

Clubs have the right to confiscatematerials with neo-Nazi symbolism,though some may wish to do soas much through dialogue andpersuasion as through stewarding checks.

Dealing with far-right fans6.a

In England during the 1980s, fans challenged the presence of neo-Nazigroups by distributing their own anti-racism leaflets and simply physicallyoccupied the spots normally frequented by the right-wing groups. English clubs have a firm policy of refusing far-right groups permission to congregate.

In 2005, Polish first division club Korona Kielce held meetings with fangroups before signing a Brazilian black player – Hernani. The groupsconsulted were opposed to the move on the basis of his race.

The player was signed and during the first game of the season Hernani was subjected to monkey chants from supporters, including the club’s own. The club took advice from a Polish NGO, the Never Again Association, and officials reacted immediately by criticising the incident, providing thepolice with pictures of neo-Nazi fans taken during the game and announcingthat these fans would be banned from visiting Korona’s stadium.

The majority of Korona’s supporters agreed with the decision and supportedthe signing of the Brazilian player.

A month later, before the Korona Kielce v Odra Wodzislaw Slaski game,pictures of six recognised neo-Nazi fans were displayed at the ticket officeand they were banned from the stadium when security officials stoppedthem at the gates. Korona’s players appeared on the pitch in T-shirts withthe “Never Again” campaign logo, “Let’s kick racism out of the stadiums”.Hernani was loudly applauded by the crowd whenever he touched the ball.

In Hungary, the Mahatma Gandhi Human Rights Organisation, a communityorganisation working with asylum seekers, refugees and people of Africandescent, formed a partnership with several Hungarian professional footballclubs to coordinate a series of anti-racism activities during the FARE actionweek in 2005. As a result, clubs which have historically had a major far-rightfollowing were involved in actively challenging their own supporters.


Stewarding and policingWhile longer-term solutions toracism lie in strategies that drawon campaigning and education,the effective stewarding andpolicing of racism inside stadiumsshould also be a part of thesewider strategies.

The culture and types of footballsupport differ across Europe. In some countries fans mightdisplay banners, flags and scarvesas they stand behind fences. In another, chants and songs echoout as supporters wearing replicashirts sit with an unobstructedview of the pitch.

The primary objective of allstewarding should be to ensurethe safety of spectators andplayers. In doing so, stewardingpractices should work with, andnot against, fan cultures. Goodstewarding allows fan cultures toflourish whilst effectivelychallenging racial abuse.

Stewarding and policing policiesshould reflect these differentcircumstances and includemeasures to ensure the effectivepolicing of racism.

This may take the form of visibleground regulations and the trainingof stewards to recognise racismas it occurs through chants,symbols and banners. Operationalprotocols need to set out theaction that should be taken whereracism occurs.

In Germany, FC Sankt Pauli take a firm line against those involved inracism. The club sets out a clearpolicy with prominently displayedstadium regulations. Onceidentified, the individuals arebanned and referred to the club’sfan project, whose officials workwith them.

In England, a training programmefor stewards has been drawn upby Kick It Out with the support ofthe governing body and leagues.The one-hour programme, whichis delivered to every steward inEngland and Wales, coversproblem recognition – such aslisting offensive terms and theoperational responses requiredwhen perpetrators are identified –and stewards’ responsibilities.

Glasgow Rangers in Scotland haveplain-clothed stewards tosit in the crowd and identifyoffenders or confirm complaintspreviously received.

In addition, the club entered intoan official protocol with its regionalpolice force whereby the identitiesof persons arrested for football-related crimes are revealed andofficial warnings as well asindefinite and lifetime bansimposed and recorded by Rangers FC.

The Hungarian leagues haveadopted the rule that in the eventof racist behaviour in the crowd,the referee is obliged to stop thegame and, in consultation with thematch delegate, take a decision asto whether to continue with thematch or abandon it immediately.Should the racist behaviourcontinue, the game will beabandoned. All these casesare then submitted to the

disciplinary committee.

The names of referees who do notapply these rules are removedfrom the list.

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7.


ethnic minority communitiesEurope is changing. Patterns ofimmigration are making manyplaces much more diverse andproviding challenges for all of us.The Pakistani Italian, theVietnamese Pole or the SenegaleseNorwegian are helping to shapenew cities infused with theeconomic and cultural energy thatmigrants bring.

Many professional football clubs,regardless of their size, will standas beacons within theircommunities. The sheer physicalpresence of a stadium withthousands of visitors every twoweeks gives it a presence withinlocal communities that is unmatchedby most other institutions.

It is often argued that clubs shouldbe using the appeal of football to get involved in their localcommunities, working with youngpeople, the disaffected and othermarginalised groups. The ‘community capital’ that clubs can bring to effect social change in their environments is significant.

In England, professional clubsrealised many years ago thatcommunity work and football gotogether, and a multitude ofschemes now use stadiumfacilities and the appeal of thegame to deliver community work.

As local populations change, it is important that clubs should be working with new communitiesthat may be emerging. By workingwith ethnic minorities, you canshow how your club can be openand welcoming, gaining the trustand cooperation of new residents.

German Bundesliga club Schalke04 have shown the lead throughthe stated aim of "promoting thesocial integration of immigrantcitizens".

In Norway, SK Vard Haugesundvisit schools to invite refugeefamilies to join the club to help theyoung people integrate into localsociety more easily, make friendsand learn the Norwegian language.Parents are also included in theprocess to assist integration intolocal society.

In Oslo, Vaalerenga started the“Colourful” tournament foryoungsters not formally involved ina club, so that minority children inparticular would be invited to play.This tournament has now beentaken up nationally by theNorwegian FA.

In Sheffield, the “Football Unites,Racism Divides” (FURD) projecthas been working with bothSheffield clubs to counter theexclusion of young people fromlocal minority communitiesthrough football-themed activities.They recently celebrated ten yearsof showing how football, educationand community involvement canbring about changes to the livesof young people.

In the Netherlands, all first andsecond division clubs are involvedin an FA project called “Voetbalheeft meer dan twee doelen”(Football has more than two goals),through which clubs organiseintercultural activities stressing thatfootball is for all, irrespective ofreligion, colour or sex.

ADO Den Haag of the first division,for example, invited asylum seekersto participate in a workshop withplayers Geert den Ouden, SpiraGrujic and Youssef El Akchaouiand attend a match.

Other clubs, such as FC Utrechtand NEC Nijmegen, have a projectcalled “The Hero”, within whichplayers visit schools to talk aboutrespect, equality and socialresponsibility with students.

Other notable projects in theNetherlands include that of VVVVenlo player Mohamed Allach, who is active with his foundationMaroquiStars. The foundationseeks to improve the image ofMoroccans in the Netherlands byvisiting schools and organising anannual match between Moroccanplayers and a Dutch team.

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8.

Working with


Ethnic minorities

One of the most striking aspects of football in Europe is thediscrepancy between the highnumber of black players on thefield of play and the lack of blackor ethnic minority faces in the crowd.

Many minorities have a secondaryinvolvement with the game,watching games on TV at homerather than attending live matches.Efforts to attract these supportersto stadiums are an important partof campaigns to eradicate racism.

In commercial terms, ethnicminorities have a growingeconomic influence. Nocommercially attuned professionalclub can ignore the potentialbenefits of extra gate receipts orrevenue from sales of merchandiseand refreshments to new fans.

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8.a

as fans Increasing opportunities

The last decade has seen agrowth in club football. Televisionand multimedia deals, the strengthof the UEFA Cup and UEFAChampions League andinternational competitions havegiven most European leagues ahigher profile and more cash tospend than ever before. To meetthe demands of this newcommercial era, many professionalclubs have grown into multi-faceted operations performing awide range of activities.

These developments provide new opportunities but also increasethe clubs’ obligations – moral andlegal. Many clubs will be employersand will need to recognise theimportance of opening upemployment opportunities to allsections of the community –including ethnic minorities, womenand the disabled.

The opportunities on offer at clubsshould be open in all areas ofoperation, including administration,stewarding, employment,identification of young players and employment of coaching staff.

In administration and othernon-playing areas, equality inemployment can be achieved byoperating fair practices andeffective equal opportunitiespolicies.

In playing areas too, all those who have an interest in the gameshould be given meaningfulopportunities to play at the highestlevels of the game. And despitethe fact that many players withinthe top European leagues areblack, opportunities are not beingmade available to coaches fromthose communities.

In effect, club chairmen areoverlooking candidates from a minority background whenappointing coaches. It is an areathat is rarely looked at but iscrucial when considering issues of fair representation.

In England, the “Racial EqualityStandard for Professional FootballClubs” has encouraged manyclubs to work towards a series ofmeasures to ensure equalitypolicies are implemented in allareas of their operation, fromstewarding to the recruitment ofyoung players.

The standard has been developedby Kick It Out with the support of the FA Premier League to move clubs forward in theirunderstanding of the issues.

The document divides the areas ofactivity into three sections andgrades achievement into threelevels – preliminary, intermediateand advanced. All Premier Leagueclubs are currently working tomeet the first level of the standard,with many moving onto theintermediate level.

8.b

for ethnic minorities


Football generates enormousamounts of broadcast and printcoverage. Campaigners havefound that the media can play ancrucial role in highlighting both the problems of racist activity and the solutions.

The most successful campaignshave been able to create adynamic in which the media playan active role in changing attitudesand expecting action andcommitment from footballauthorities.

Clubs should use their extensivemedia contacts to gain coverageto get the message understoodand to publicise their work.

The mainstream media havecovered numerous anti-racistactions by fans and other groups,particularly when this has relatedto specific events such as an anti-racism action day at a club, or the player-led launch of apublication, video or exhibition.

Many clubs already produce theirown media – magazines, fanzines,newsletters and posters. Officialwebsites are consulted by fansacross the world and should beused wherever possible tounderline the story.

Often the mainstream media willbe willing supporters of initiativesto tackle racism and will givecoverage to your activities.

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Using the mediaIn Romania, for instance, the popular magazine Pro Sport and the TVchannel Pro TV joined the FARE action in April 2002 and printed 15,000posters where high-profile players from the Bucharest teams FC Steaua,FC Dinamo and FC Rapid wore FARE T-shirts. During the live broadcast of the Rapid v FC Universitatea Craiova match, Pro Sport explained thebackground to the action.

Since October 2003, the leading sport newspapers A Bola, Record and O Jogo have joined the Portuguese players’ union to mark their annualweek against racism. On the same day, the newspapers publish anti-racism statements by players and carry symbolic photographs of blackand white star players. In 2005, the radio station Antena 3 ran a contest to support the campaign. Listeners had to present creative slogansagainst racism in football and were offered tickets for anti-racism matchesin the Portuguese league.

In England and Wales, coaches wear an anti-racism badge throughout the week of action – pitch-side during games, and for media previews and post-match interviews.


UEFA and FAREEuropean football’s governing bodyhas forged a close relationship withthe Football Against Racism inEurope (FARE) network as its anti-discrimination partner.

UEFA has given considerablefinancial support to FARE in recent years, and both bodieshave cooperated in stagingevents, issuing publications, andusing the massive public andcommercial platform of Europe'sbiggest football matches to presshome the message that racismmust be challenged in all areas.

In 2002 UEFA issued a ten-pointaction plan (right) that sets outmany of the basic areas of anti-racism action in football.

The FARE network consists ofrepresentatives from across thefootball family, including fangroups, NGOs, nationalassociations and player unions.FARE believes that footballbelongs to us all and that itshould be the right of everyperson to play, watch and discussfreely, without fear of racism or discrimination.

The network is active in over 32countries and has pledged,through coordinated action andcommon effort, to bring togetherall those interested in combatingdiscrimination in football.

Further information is availablefrom www.farenet.org

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The partnership betweenUEFA’s ten-point plan

1 Issue a statement saying that racism or anyother kind of discrimination will not betolerated, spelling out the action that will betaken against those who engage in racistchanting. The statement should be printedin all match programmes and displayedpermanently and prominently around theground.

2 Make public address announcementscondemning racist chanting at matches.

3 Make it a condition for season ticket holdersthat they do not take part in racist abuse.

4 Take action to prevent the sale of racistliterature inside and around the ground.

5 Take disciplinary action against players whoengage in racial abuse.

6 Contact other associations or clubs to makesure they understand the association’s orclub’s policy on racism.

7 Encourage a common strategy betweenstewards and police for dealing with racist abuse.

8 Remove all racist graffiti from the ground as a matter of urgency.

9 Adopt an equal opportunities' policy inrelation to employment and service provision.

10 Work with all other groups and agencies,such as the players’ union, supporters,schools, voluntary organisations, youth clubs,sponsors, local authorities, local businessesand the police, to develop proactiveprogrammes and make progress to raiseawareness of campaigning to eliminate racialabuse and discrimination.

10.


Documents

Tackling racism in club football - uefa.com · In 2003, UEFA and FARE jointly published a good practice guide for tackling racism in European football following the first Unite Against