Racism in European Football

Racism in European Football has been a lingering issue within the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) for quite some time. It appears to have become more prevalent in recent years as more non European players, mostly African, have made their way to Europe to play in the world’s most prestigious leagues.

The ridicule the non European footballers face is not only wrong and unjust, but worst part about it is that the abuse is coming from their own so called supporters! These non European players are constantly bombarded with racist chants, animal sounds, and antics such as throwing bananas on to the pitch, as they consider these non european players to be monkeys. The local supporters dishing out the abuse on foregin players have associated themselves with a particular football club for years and tend to have a Eurocentric attitude; they believe Europeans are the best footballers, and therefore only players of European descent should be allowed to play for professional football in their country

FIFA's governing body has implemented anti-racism campaigns in an attempt to eliminate the problem from European Football. In some instances, fans have been banned from specific matches and teams are forced to play "behind closed doors". Some player’s have even launched their own independent campaigns protesting against racism in European Football, but to no avail. It is truly a shame that the "beautiful game" is under scrutiny for an issue that should not be an issue at all, racism in European Football.