Racism in Football Peaks in Europe

Soccer is experiencing racism like never before. What officials should do to protect players and punish fans is being hotly debated. The latest case of fan racism took place yesterday during the Serie A match between Juventus and Cagliari. After scoring a goal, Bianconeri striker Moise Kean was heckled by Cagliari supporters. Widespread outrage ensued when he celebrated with his arms raised in the midst of the abuse. The blame was placed on him. Both his coach and his teammate spoke out against Kean's choice of celebration, a decision that they apparently felt deserved not only the scowls of the nearby fans, but also a few boos.

European Football Fans Should Face Penalties for Racism

Several witnesses spoke of reports of racism rearing its ugly head in Europe in recent months. Italian soccer has suffered for years from fans abusing players of African descent. But this is a sunny day, and the spotlight has shone so brightly this time that the whole of Europe is now grappling with the issue of real fans in stadiums. Members of the England national team recently saw some of their number jeered during a Euro 2025 qualifier against Montenegro. Quite unprecedented is the decibel level at which calls are now being made for officials to come up with some sort of remedy to tackle the problem of racism in football.

Recourse for Racism in Football

In 1993, FIFA and the European governing body launched the Let's Kick Racism Out campaign. It was a response to the very high levels of racism that existed in football. It was a noble effort, but it failed to come up with a way to punish fans who abuse players on the pitch. Coaches in the Barclays Premier League have spoken out in condemnation of such actions in football, going so far as to say they will stop the show if fans start doing this. There have been suggestions that teams should play behind closed doors and, if necessary, games should be stopped altogether. The latter would be difficult to enforce.