More Penalties Please

He is a prodigiouslyTremendously, or very able. talented football player. At just 23 years old, Vinicius Junior is a winger for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team. He is considered one of the greatest talents in the world. He is also a philanthropistSomeone who donates generously to good causes. American philanthropy has been very important in creating a positive image of the US around the world., activist and UNESCO ambassador.

Vinicius is perhaps the last person you might expect to see breaking down in tears in front of the press. But this only makes his tale more heartbreaking, as the star player admits that he has considered giving up football completely after a delugeA large downpour of rain, from the Latin verb for wash away. of foul racist abuse.

"I just want to play football but it's hard to move forward... I feel less and less like playing," he says, tears streaming down his cheeks. "But I will stay, because that way the racists can continue to see my face more and more."

Vinicius has experienced 10 episodes of aggressive racist abuse that have been reported to prosecutors by La Liga.¹ Last May, seven men were detained at a Real Madrid match in Valencia after they hurled racist slurs at the player, postponing the game by 10 minutes.

Such tragic tales are as old as time. In 1982, the Black football player Cyrille Regis was sent a bullet in the post following his England call up. After Manchester United's Europa League final defeat in 2021, Marcus Rashford received racial slurs online from at least 70 different accounts.

The problem pervades football on every level, in every country. Only 3.9% of coaches in Europe's 14 biggest leagues come from an ethnic minority background.²

A study by YouGov from 2021 revealed that 73% of ethnically diverse fans fear visiting a stadium because of racist abuse. Significantly, a staggering 92% of Black football fans were concerned about witnessing a Black player receiving racist abuse.³

The problem may be getting worse. The charitable organisation Kick It Out, which fights prejudice of all forms in football, reported that discriminatory behaviour spiked by an alarming 65.1% between 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, noting that racism remains the most common form of discrimination in both professional and grassrootsThe ordinary or common people involved in a cause, movement or organisation. football, accounting for almost half of all reports.⁴

Football is not just entertainment: it is at the heart of our national feeling, bonding us together. As the historian Eric Hobsbawn wrote, "The imagined community of millions seems more real as a team of 11 named people."

This can be a positive thing. Sometimes, sports can act as a beacon of anti-racism, helping us to create a better world. In 1995, South Africa won the Rugby World Cup over New Zealand just four years after the end of apartheidA system of legally-enshrined racial discrimination and oppression which existed in South Africa from 1948 until the 1990s. It denied non-white South Africans basic human rights. under the slogan "One Team, One Country".

But sport can also give a platform to deep-rooted and pervasiveNoticeable everywhere or in everything. prejudices. A recent study proved that racial prejudices towards players are perpetuatedmade to continue by both commentators and the press.⁵

What can be done? FIFAThe Federation Internationale de Football Association is the world's highest governing body of association football.'s president Gianni Infantino has called for automatic forfeits for teams whose supporters racially abuse players. He has also suggested worldwide stadium bans for fans who commit acts of racism.

But some say that since the problem goes deeper than football, so should the solution. As long as there is racism in society, it will surface in sports. The best thing we can all do, they say, is call out racism and other forms of prejudice whenever we witness it.

Can football stop the hate?

Yes: Racist football fans rarely see any consequences for spreading vile racist abuse, especially when this abuse is carried out online. They need to feel not only that they will be punished, but that their team will suffer for their actions.

No: Racism in football will continue for as long as there is racism in society, and unfortunately eradicating that will be a long, uphill battle.

Or... In the first instance, we should focus on showing solidarity with ethnic minority players who are experiencing abuse. They should be aware that only a tiny minority of people hold these views, and that they have the support of most loyal fans.