Racism in football is everywhere; however certain clubs are beyond racist – they are called the ‘hooligan dens’. Racism in football has sparked up in the 21st century and yet FIFA is doing little to nothing about the mounting incidents. Racist chants, that are primarily based on the ethnicity of the players, are increasingly being used to attack footballers. FIFA is not tackling the problem effectively, and it is occurring more and more. In certain leagues, players of these ethnicity are terrified to play football – this has been occurring mainly in Eastern Europe because in these countries racism is a deep-rooted problem. This is tragic; there is less and less talent being developed in these leagues. It is their loss. Moreover, the associations that represent these leagues are doing nothing about it.

In Britain, racism in matches still occurs, but today is nowhere near the levels of the 1970s and 80s, when black players were abused with monkey noises and bananas. The recent reduction of British racism is due to the sustained campaign to ‘Stop It’. This was especially prevalent in the 1980s when Paul Canoville was the first black footballer to play for Chelsea. When the team sheet was announced with his name on it, the reaction was barbaric.  As Canoville warmed up, Chelsea supporters screamed racist obscenities. For a solid two years, the chanting continued. This was when Herman Ouseley, the Chair of the FA, had to step up to the plate. He had decided something had to be done.

Progress has been slow: there is a greater sense of equality and players such as Raheem Sterling, Anthony Martial and John Obi Mikel, who are household names in the Premier League,  are nowadays treated with the same respect as their peers. Moreover, such players as Yaya Toure are among the best-paid players in the world. This shows how in modern English football, racism has dramatically reduced. Other countries need to take note and follow our lead.

Elsewhere in Europe, particularly Eastern Europe, the problem may be more serious. In many cases, Nazi symbols may be used purely to shock and provoke, without knowing the full meaning of Nazism. However, even showing a swastika in public denotes a political stance that is racist and even if fans are displaying these in all ignorance they are taking a political stand. Racism in Eastern Europe remains at a consistent level. In my opinion, the major reason for this is due to a lack of affirmative action in tackling the hooligans. The problem is starting to be taken seriously across Europe and a number of campaigns have been launched such as: Show Racism the Red Card, the UK’s anti-racism educational charity. This charity was established in January 1996 and involves high-profile footballers joining together to help tackle the situation.

The success of these campaigns is difficult to tell, but the UK has seen a phenomenal decrease in racist behaviour at football grounds, according to a source from the Daily Mail. Hopefully these existing campaigns will make an impact in different countries in the future and help to bring about a shift in attitude .

Even though Russia, the host for the 2018 World Cup, is claiming to be putting in place tougher sanctions on racism, there is the possibility that black players will boycott the World Cup unless more is done to combat racism. If Russia does not attempt to take action, there’s a high chance that Black African teams may walk away, says Yaya Toure. I personally think Russia should not host the Cup, because there is still a high likelihood that racism within the country will persist. If Russia still has the privilege to host the Cup, it is possible that questions will be asked about FIFA, challenging whether or not it has taken racism into consideration. Visiting fans, players and managers run the risk of being racially abused by home fans.

Racially abused players should protest more and should not be afraid to do so. Taking a stand and being open about racism will in turn open the eyes of FIFA. It’s not just footballers who have been abused in the past or footballers who are currently being attacked who should take a stand: if everyone who loves the game joins together and speaks out, racism will be defeated.