Football against racism: Kick It Out, Show Racism the Red Card and FARE

When Germany’s Foreign Minister opened the streetfootballworld festival 06 in Berlin, the stated aim was to set “a clear sign against violence, xenophobia and racism”. That message did not start in 2006. By then, three organisations had spent years building the anti-racism movement in European football.

Kick It Out

Kick It Out began in England in 1993 as a campaign called “Let’s Kick Racism Out of Football”, and became an organisation in 1997. It works in football, education and the community to challenge discrimination and promote inclusion.

It is funded by the game’s governing bodies, including its founding body, the Professional Footballers’ Association, as well as the Premier League and the Football Association. Its work includes:

• a system for reporting abuse through its website and a mobile app;
• equality and diversity training for professional footballers;
• the annual Raise Your Game conferences, which mentor young people who want careers in football;
• since 2015, an Equality and Diversity in Football Award with Southampton Solent University.

In 2019 it helped compile The Times’ manifesto against racism in football, signed by Raheem Sterling, Andy Cole, Eni Aluko and Sadiq Khan among others.

Show Racism the Red Card

Show Racism the Red Card (SRtRC) is an anti-racism education charity founded in England in January 1996. Its starting point was a £50 donation in 1995 by Shaka Hislop, then Newcastle United’s goalkeeper, to a local anti-racism campaign. Founder Ged Grebby built the charity around a simple idea: footballers are role models, so use them to teach young people about racism.

It produces DVDs and education packs, runs school workshops and teacher training, and holds events at football clubs. Its resources feature players such as Thierry Henry, Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand, Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o. Specific packs deal with racism towards refugees and asylum seekers, Islamophobia, and racism against Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. SRtRC has offices in Whitley Bay, Glasgow and Cardiff and campaigns in Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.

FARE

The Fare network, originally Football Against Racism in Europe, was set up in Vienna in February 1999, after a meeting of supporters’ groups, players’ unions and football associations. Its aim is to counter discrimination in European football, and it has the backing of UEFA, FIFA and the European Commission. Kick It Out plays a leading role in the network.

The criticism

These organisations have not been beyond criticism, and some of the sharpest came from black players themselves:

• In 2007, Everton’s Joleon Lescott refused to wear a Kick It Out T-shirt after Newcastle’s Emre Belözoğlu escaped punishment for alleged racial abuse of Joseph Yobo.
• In autumn 2012, after a week of racist abuse and violence at an England–Serbia under-21 match, several players, including Rio Ferdinand, Jason Roberts and Micah Richards, refused to wear Kick It Out shirts, protesting that the campaign had done too little after high-profile cases.

The complaint was that awareness campaigns cannot replace real sanctions. It is a reminder that education and punishment have to work together.

FAQ

When was Kick It Out founded?

As a campaign in 1993 and as an organisation in 1997.

How did Show Racism the Red Card start?

With a £50 donation from Newcastle United goalkeeper Shaka Hislop in 1995; the charity was founded in January 1996.

What is FARE?

The Fare network, originally Football Against Racism in Europe, founded in Vienna in 1999 to fight discrimination in European football.

Conclusion

Anti-racism work in football combines education, reporting tools and pressure on the authorities, and it has had to listen to criticism from the players it set out to protect. See also our article on sport for development and peace and the football for development section.