Is Football Racist?

I know this is a delayed response, but a couple of nights ago I watched a program called “Is Football Racist” and tonight I have a couple of things to say about it.
Presented by Clarke Carlisle, the show explored the racist side of football; a side that until recently I was sure has been almost fully stamped out. During that hour, my little bubble of racial harmony was well and truly burst.

From scouts being told not to hire Asian men, black managers being as rare as honest politicians right up to casual chanting of the word “yid” (a racist word for Jews), it seems racism is alive and breathing in the football ground.

Ex footballer John Barnes blames this on “passive racism.” Passive racism, unlike overt racism, is the subconscious belief in racial superiority/inferiority. This subconscious belief is due to the racial stereotypes that have been perpetuated through the media and literature for years. Due to this subconscious belief, black men are finding it near to impossible to reach the top jobs in football, while Asian players are being kept out of teams completely.

After watching the show, many viewers will be more away of institutionalised racism within football. But now what? We know about the racism, but what is anyone doing about it. Luis Suarez, after being accused of racially abusing a fellow player, was given the full support and backing of his team. I can’t speak for the rest of the world, but if a friend of mine had publicly racially abused someone, I wouldn’t be seen with them. I’d let them know I condemned their actions and I’d sever ties with them.

Why then, won’t footballers do the same? Apparently common decency is not a good enough reason to take a tougher stance on racism. As long as people are still paying to come and see people play, in the eyes of their team they can do no wrong. As long as fans continue to meet allegations of racism with apathy and disbelief, the big names in football have no incentive to take any real action on racism. Football has the power to bring entire communities together, but if people are excluded from that community because of their skin colour football will lose any sense of “community” or “team spirit”. If we are not moving forward in the fight against racism, we are going backwards, and nobody wants to go back to the days in which overt racism was the norm.

If we want racism in football to truly be changed, we have to start with the fans. As soon as the fans begin to turn their backs on racist players, FIFA will finally have the monetary incentive to do the same.