YIRENKYI 1

ERNEST ADU YIRENKYI

LBST 1102
DEBRA DAGHER
APRIL 12, 2015.
SOCCER WITHOUT ENEMIES: HAS FIFA DONE ENOUGH TO ERADICATE RACISM?
Racism in soccer has come of age. Although it is daily assuming new dimensions, its basic
motivation remains unchanged. When football club members discriminate against club the side
effect is that the key players end up leaving the club to different teams. Sometimes they even end
up retiring early from their soccer career. There are several recordable incidents we can talk
about. For example, at the just ended world cup in Brazil, there were some racial issues that
popped up during the game between Ghana and Germany, where some German supporters
painted their faces with colors. All over the world, and most especially among soccer fans, match
officials, etc. see this as a big problem which does not improve the beauty of soccer.
I have been a victim in terms of racist abuse in different ways and I know how bad it is for
someone to be in such situation. In my work place, there is a kind of discrimination between
some of us. Just few months ago, I had an issue with my Human Resource director and factory
manager regarding my education. They claimed that I was not a student was merely pretending
to be one so as to be excused from working overtime. So they asked me to provide documented
proof that indeed I am a student. I did exactly what they demanded for. Even after submitting the
documents requested, they were still reluctant to allow me to go for classes. They did their own
investigation, to cut the long story short, the truth came out, I was freed. There were several
colleagues who are also students but such things never happened to them so why me? Such issue
wouldnt have happened to a different person. I see it as racial discrimination.

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I read different articles, listened to news, watched video with racist abuse in soccer. For
instance, the article that made me more curious was Stage of the Global: Media, Sport,
Racialization and the Last Temptation of Zinedine Zidane (Rowe, D. (n.d.)); where there was a
racist issue between Zidane and Matarazzi during 2006 FIFA world cup final in Germany. Zidane
accused Matarezzi of insulting his tribe and family. Everybody knows that soccer is a major
game across the globe. It unites people irrespective of their background. It contributes to the
development of countries. The Federation of International of Association Football (FIFA) is the
international governing body organizing major tournaments in the world. Its responsibility is to
ensure a fair game, sponsor clubs and promote major leagues across the globe. FIFA as a body
deal with all disciplinary issues pertaining to soccer. Its responsibility again is to resolve all kinds
of problems within or outside soccer arena. For examples, clubs issues, players misconducts,
supporters behaviors regarding racism and other unaccepted practices. And yet all these
problems especially racism persist in soccer. Many stakeholders in the soccer fraternity
continue to lament about the issue of racism in the game. They prophesy doom for the industry if
steps are not intensified to curb this behavior. I therefore embarked on an exploratory journey to
know what FIFA, soccers largest governing body has done and continues to do in finding
solutions to soccer racism. Has there been any effort or action taken by FIFA to ensure it
eradication? My main motivation was to look at whether they have done enough in fighting
racism in soccer? Jon Garland and Michael Rowes work on Racism and Anti-Racism in Football
provided me with a number of ideas for investigating, particularly revolving around the racist
abuse of fans, and around anti-racism schemes and groups, such as Lets Kick Racism (Garland J
and Rowe M, 2001).

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Throughout my research, I discovered a lot of activities FIFA initiated to curb racism. It was
really astonishing and never expected such works from them. Its interest me to know that
through efforts aimed at eradicating racism, FIFA passed several resolutions as part of their
activities. For example, FIFA passed the Buenos Aires Resolution in 2001. During this event,
Anthony Baffoe, a popular Ghanaian footballer was given the platform to give his thought on the
issue regarding racism. In 2002, FIFA also collaborated with soccer celebrities together to fight
against racism and discrimination. Celebrities like Thierry Henry, Bobby Charton, Svan Goran,
Pele, Samuel Etoo, etc. put their effort to make it successful. (FIFA, March 2, 2011).
FIFA in its strong commitment to fight against racism also organized a 90-minute match in
2007 for Nelson Mandela between Africa eleven and the world XL. Record indicates that it was
a well patronized game and about 35000 spectators watched this match. FIFA further strategized
this program in such a way that they included all the teams competing at the third round in the
group stage of the UEFA Champions League. All the 32 teams captains of the competing teams
wore armbands with the inscription UNITE AGAINST RACISM. It was a slogan FIFA came
out with to send message across the world that it has no room for racism in soccer. (FIFA,
January1, 2007)
Though, I dont have the statistics as to how many players are affected by racial abuse, I
strongly believe that high numbers of players and other football workers are racially abused each
day.
A chronological analysis of the various approaches FIFA has taken so far in tackling racism in
soccer, it is clear that they have shown tremendous commitment to eradicate the canker. FIFA as
a body has numerous functions to perform in the organization of games and other related
responsibilities, it is evident from the steps they have taken that they have done enough in their

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capacity to stop racism from marring the beautiful game of football. Looking at the success level
of the various strategies utilized by FIFA in dealing with the issue of racism, I will largely say
from a personal view that they have performed well in reducing racism in football. All
stakeholders in the football fraternity will need to collaborate in keeping the fight against racism
stronger. Other stakeholders in other sectors of the economy will need to learn from the bold
steps of FIFA to institute a multi-sectorial fight against racism so as to achieve maximum results.
Overall, the evidence gathered shows that racism in football will have been much worse if FIFA
had not intervened with the various measures.
It is not very clear whether FIFA has really shown the greatest commitment to eradicate racism
looking at the enormity of the problem. Critics believe FIFA is merely demonstrating double
standards in the sense that there is deep seated discrimination even in how leaders in this body
are elected. Racism in sports as with racism generally in society is an endemic problem in
Britain (Gardiner et al., 2006:128).
In their book, Sports Law, Gardiner et al., state that there are low levels of representation of
sports administrators or coaches from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Future research work would have been aimed at investigating racist behaviors and how it
influences appointment of leaders to FIFA.
The insights gained through my research will guide me all the way through my stay in America,
a foreign country. I will be quite careful what I do and how I behave knowing that racism and
discrimination is more profound than I ever imagined, even in America the supposed land of the
free. It will take a long time, if ever possible to completely eradicate racism and discrimination.
Other immigrants should also be prepared for discrimination and provocative behaviors that they

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are likely to meet as they seek employment, schooling opportunities etc. Even recent news about
racial discrimination by some law enforcement officers worsens the situation.
Momentarily, I wonder how racism and discrimination began in this world and what motivated
such behaviors.
WORK CITED
The organization, (January 1, 2007). Eradicate racism from the game.
Retrieved from: http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/organisation/homefifa/news/newsid=110074/
Accessed on March 22, 2015.
Federation of international football Association 2011.FIFA against racism: a decade of
milestones.
Retrieved from http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/socialresponsibility/news/newsid=1384919/
Accessed on March 2, 2011.

Rowe, D. (n.d.), Stage of the Global: Media, Sport, Racialization and the Last Temptation of
Zinedine Zidane. Retrieved February 28th 2015 from:
http://irs.sagepub.com.librarylink.uncc.edu/content/45/3/355.full.pdf+html
Garland J and Rowe M (2001) Racism and Anti-Racism in Football. Basingstoke: Palgrave.
Gardiner S, James M, OLeary J and Welch R (2006). Sports Law. 3rd edition. Oxon: RoutledgeCavendish.

This paper is really well done and I really enjoyed it. I am a sports fanatic and have heard a lot
about this issue in Soccer especially when the World Cup came around. You had a lot of

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information and it was well written. I think if you add some players thoughts on it, it
could make a really cool paper but it is awesome how it right now. Great Job!