Driving Out Darkness: Discrimination and Human Rights in European Football
Read Time:5 Minute, 20 Second
By: Alexandra Huggins
Edited By: Edu Kenedi
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that” – Martin Luther King Jr.
At the 16th minute of Italian football team AC Milan’s home game on January 27th, the match was paused and this quote was displayed on the stadium’s screens, accompanied by a sea of flashlights shone throughout the stands by supporters. The moment was designated as a show of support for AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan (#16), who, during the team’s previous away match, was the victim of racial abuse by opposing fans. While the response to this particular incident was swift, with AC Milan players leaving the field in protest, the rival team banning the offending fan for life, and dozens of players and teams showing their support for Maignan online, the incident is far from isolated. In fact, it is merely one of several hundred that take place every football season across multiple leagues and dozens of teams throughout Europe, illustrating a subculture of bigotry and discrimination within the world’s biggest sport.
Football, often dubbed “the beautiful game,” has all too often made headlines for its ugly underbelly, where many of society’s worst flaws, flaws often hidden by institutional design or apathy by authorities, are projected onto some of the world’s largest stages. While the racism against Maignan was the most recent example, bigotry in football runs the gamut of ongoing human rights issues and discrimination against historically marginalized groups, with currents of racism, sexism, and homophobia running throughout a sport that is often celebrated for its unifying capabilities and universality.
In just the past year, football fans, clubs, and their governing bodies have been faced with a slew of discrimination cases across the top levels of the sport, from harassment by fans to deep flaws in institutional priorities and systemic values. The head of the Spanish football federation’s non-consensual kiss with one of the players at the final of the Women’s World Cup led to global outrage, overshadowing the Spanish team’s win and shining a light on the culture of sexism and downplaying of sexual assault in world football. The host countries of major international tournaments (such as the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the 2020 Club World Cup and 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and the 2023 Club World Cup and 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia) have been heavily criticized for their human rights policies, specifically pertaining to LGBTQ issues. And racial harassment, such as that against Maignan, is at an all-time high, with advocacy organization Kick it Out receiving 497 reports over the 2022-23 season in England alone.
The prevalence of these incidents in one of the world’s most beloved pastimes has put a magnifying glass on their underlying issues, particularly the ever-present discrimination against marginalized groups in society. These incidents occur daily worldwide, but they are amplified on some of the world’s biggest stages when they occur in the context of a football team or fanbase. The prevalence of social media also plays a large role in the visibility of both discrimination and harassment, as well as the advocacy for their elimination, a duality amplified through platforms enabling direct interaction between players and the public. For instance, following both France’s loss in the 2022 World Cup and England’s loss in the 2020 European Championship, players from both teams received extensive racial abuse online. However, social media has also allowed for witnesses to document and report instances of harassment and for players to raise awareness and support each other in their efforts.
The high visibility of the sport and its players not only illuminates issues that are prevalent throughout society, but provides a platform on which advocacy is spotlighted and given publicity and consideration that is often unavailable to the general public. Vinicius Jr., a Brazilian player playing for Real Madrid and the target of at least 8 instances of racial harassment in the 2022-23 season alone, has emerged as a strong advocate for the elimination of racism in Spain, pushing for legal action within the criminal justice system and institutional reform within La Liga, the Spanish football league. However, Vinicius’ advocacy, along with the highly publicized response to other incidents, has highlighted the failure of authorities within both the football and governmental hierarchies to address the issues adequately. To name a few of many instances, FIFA, the international football governing body, has come under fire for imposing penalties on players wearing rainbow armbands at the World Cup. Spain’s football federation has been criticized for ignoring sexism by prominent figures in the organization and failing to remove their official who forcefully kissed a player at the Women’s World Cup. And UEFA, the governing body of European football, has been called out for imposing greater financial penalties on players exposing unapproved messages on their clothing than for racial harassment.
As is the nature of politics, lawmakers and administrators are often only forced to address issues when they are at the forefront of public consciousness, putting their efforts, or lack thereof, in high definition. These issues have been prevalent in the sport for decades but it is only recently, due to the role of social media and increased advocacy, that awareness and advocacy for their elimination has reached the global stage and governing bodies have recognized them as problems to be addressed.
While public attention and greater awareness, as well as advocates like Vinicius and organizations like Kick It Out, have made strides toward combating discrimination in the sport, the underlying societal issues and widespread human rights violations stretch far beyond the football pitch and its players. However, due to the immense cultural significance and global visibility of football, the advocacy within this community can provide a powerful stage for change, whether it be at the institutional level, with players influencing legislation and reform, or at the local level, with supporters watching their favorite players stand against discrimination.
While eliminating bigotry and discrimination of marginalized groups is an objective of many governments and human rights organizations worldwide, football has provided a unique platform on which fundamental societal issues have become magnified. The success or failure of the football community to address these issues will set an example for the tolerance, or intolerance, of discrimination in the public sphere and popular culture going forward.
