Racism has always been an awful stain on people of colours lives, something that throughout history has been a constant awful reminder of the inequalities in society. Unfortunately this prevalent form of discrimination has leaked into football and affects the lives of coaches, referees, players and fans alike. Yet many people of colour ask the same question, when will this awful spite be stamped out of sport? When will black players be able to play without their race being weaponized and discriminated against? It's a question that all who contribute to football keep asking and unfortunately we keep seeing more of.
Black football players of all leagues have spoken about the awful racism they have faced, whether that be at their domestic club or on an international level. A prime example of this is Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior, who since joining the club in 2018, has been one of the most famous victims of recent racism in football. From racist chants from opposition fans, to have ex players saying that they too would call him such words, the onslaught has been a painful issue for the black Brazilian who has had to endure the abuse. Vinicius Junior broke down in tears in his press conference before Brazil played Spain, showcasing the deep emotional toll that this abuse has on him and how despite he would be returning to the Bernabeu which is home to Real Madrid, Spain is still a place of dark memories and torturous words. Many fans, players and ex professionals came out in support of Vinicius Junior but there was still a pile of people who justified the hateful actions, complaining that the Brazilian deserves it because he is over confident and full of himself. This audacious claim is another damaging blow of racism, forcing black people in a box of humility or silence in trade of respect. It also highlights the double standards between white and black players, where players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic were praised and loved for their arrogance but black players like Vinicius Jr, who has won every domestic trophy available to him, as someone worthy of discrimination.
In the height of COVID-19, the footballing world saw a shift in this attitude and many players started to take the knee as a symbolic statement as solidarity with the black community against racism but in truth this is not enough. Wilfried Zaha, who originally took the knee, soon refused to do it after he felt that the league and clubs were not doing all in their power to help eradicate racism in the sport and this leads on to question, why so many leagues and boards fail to do better at protecting their black players. Racism mostly goes unpunished and when boards like UEFA or La Liga for example do rule on it, the punishment is usually small fines. A small fine is hardly punishment for most European clubs like Atletico Madrid, which has had fans cast racist chants and actions towards Vinicius Jr; so there is no incentive for these clubs to really crack down on fans who do this. A more suitable and serious punishment might be docking points or even removing teams from competitions such as the Champions league or Nations league if they fail to sort out racism in their respective clubs. This not only holds international and domestic teams accountable but makes sure they enforce a safe and fair environment for black players whenever they visit and or play at their respective grounds.
Likewise, players should be punished accordingly for racism. There is a disproportion between players who commit this horrid act and players who have committed other offenses. A prime example of this: is the infamous racist incident between Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra, in which Suarez used a racist remark towards Evra during the Liverpool v Manchester United fixture. Suarez was fined £40,000 and banned for eight games. To put into perspective the lack of severity in this punishment Ivan Toney and Sandro Tonali were banned from football for eight months and ten months for betting. This isn't to say that betting is not a serious charge and both players did not warrant their retribution but it highlights how little black players mean to their respective leagues and makes black people feel that because racism does not affect finances and revenue it is not something pressing enough to ban a player for months at a time. Just recently, Napoli player Juan Jesus reported Inter Milan's Francesco Acerbi for making a racist remark towards him. According to Jesus, Acerbi immediately apologised and admitted to the referee that he was in the wrong but Serie A later ruled that they would take no further action. Once again, we see another case of racist behaviour being let go or given a slap on the wrist whilst black players now must face the hurtful truth of lack of support in their leagues.
Overall, racism in football is still a heavy dark cloud that continues to rain over the sport. There is a lack of accountability from clubs, leagues, boards and even governments which allows racism to breed and have a safe space in football. Many are tired of small meaningless gestures, which are now named as visual appeasement and want genuine action. This desired action is very straightforward and it is making sure that the harshest punishments are used to ensure retribution, deterrence but also creating a safe space in football for all people no matter what they look like.
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