The just concluded Gameweek might have been well overshadowed by the wrongly disallowed goal scored by Liverpool against Spurs, The aftermath of that particular match also saw Tottenham’s defender Destiny Udogie suffer racist abuse from Liverpool supporters.
This begs for more questions about the English FA’s commitment to truly kick out racism in the sport.
Do you think Racism will ever be kicked out of football? Let us know in this thread.
Tottenham forward Richarlison says racism will continue ‘every day and everywhere’, unless punishment is handed out after a banana was thrown at him during Brazil’s friendly win over Tunisia in Paris.
Earlier in May, Valencia fans abused Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr.
We had also seen Bukayo Saka, Jordan Henderson, Marcus Rashford, Kyle Walker, Alexander-Arnold, Jadon Sancho, and more players in English Football become victims of discriminatory abuse in 2021.
Now Destiny Udogie, the list goes on.
Racism is a global and pervasive issue. Death threats, racist abuse, sexist slurs and public humiliation - racism in football is a deeply rooted problem that has been present for many years. It is a reflection of broader societal challenges.
Sustained efforts from all stakeholders in football, including fans, players, coaches, administrators, governing bodies, and society at large is crucial to combat racism in sports.
Ongoing education, awareness, social media monitoring, stricter punishments, inclusive and diverse representation, anti-racism initiatives can significantly reduce its prevalence and impact on the sport.
It will certainly take time and collective commitment to eradicate racism from football, but unfortunately it may never be entirely eliminated.
English football stands united in its determination to tackle racism and remove all forms of discrimination from our game.
We urge fans and participants to report discrimination wherever they see it or hear it, to help make football a safer place for everyone.
Sanctions include stadium bans, legal prosecutions and custodial sentences for those found guilty in either the stadium or online. Education and restorative justice initiatives will also be implemented where appropriate.
This builds on the ongoing work to address unacceptable, discriminatory and illegal behaviour across the game, under the football-wide ‘Love Football, Protect the Game’ initiative.
In recent years, football authorities have worked together to combat online abuse. We have lobbied the UK government in the development of the Online Safety Bill.
We will continue to pressure social media companies to do more to tackle hate on their platforms.
There is no room for discrimination in any part of the game. Together, we will continue our work to make football a safer, more welcoming, and more enjoyable space for everyone.
Full statement: preml.ge/yxxt8u
#NoRoomForRacism
