{"id":33805,"date":"2019-11-23T17:00:42","date_gmt":"2019-11-23T17:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevoiceoflondon.co.uk\/?p=33805"},"modified":"2019-11-23T17:00:42","modified_gmt":"2019-11-23T17:00:42","slug":"racism-in-football-it-affects-everyone-at-every-level","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/racism-in-football-it-affects-everyone-at-every-level\/","title":{"rendered":"Racism in Football: It affects everyone at every level"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Recent sporting news have mainly been dominated by all the racism incidents, that seem to be appearing at a bigger rate by the day. Just two days ago, Shaktar Donetsk\u2019s Taison, got handed a one-match ban for the card he received in a previous game: a red card that was handed to him because he kicked the ball to fans that were racially abusing him.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Taison has been banned for one game after the incident. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jK14uYIlre\">pic.twitter.com\/jK14uYIlre<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ESPNFC\/status\/1197567440202424320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 21, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The number of football matches where hate crime was reported increased by 47 per cent in the 2018-19 season, according to the Home Office.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SkyFootball\/status\/1197441537413713922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 21, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Below is every major racism incident that has occured over the last couple of months.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-33812 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/Volleyball-History-Timeline-Infographic-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"412\" height=\"1034\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">However, professional footballers aren\u2019t the only ones facing, and fighting, racism. Amateurs do as well.<\/p>\n<p>Sunday League football, for the everyday man, is a chance for relaxation. After a week-long of working, as well as stressing for what is happening around them, the chance to play football is a means for escaping. The last thing these people want, is to go down to the pitch on a cold Sunday morning, and instead of enjoying what they have been looking forward to through the entire week, be abused for who they are.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Rishaad, who plays in one of London\u2019s Sunday leagues, is one of those people.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-33818 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"653\" height=\"443\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-1-1.jpg 1919w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-1-1-300x204.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-1-1-1024x695.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-1-1-768x521.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-1-1-1536x1042.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 653px) 100vw, 653px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\u201cIt\u2019s happening. Of course, and it\u2019s happening, even in amateur football.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rishaad, 26, is born and raised in North London, his parents of Nigerian heritage. \u201cRacism is always on your mind as you grow up. I\u2019m not going to pretend that it was bad as I was growing up, but I\u2019m also not going to pretend that it didn\u2019t exist.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rishaad spends his weeks like most of us, working and trying to make a living, and of course being passionate about football is part of that. \u201cDon\u2019t tell this to my mates but I kind of picked to play for them because their shirts resemble the 05\/06 Arsenal shirt\u201d he jokes on the sidelines before one of his games.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-33819 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-5-e1574468659810.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"454\" height=\"494\" \/><\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings Rishaad transforms into a prime Thierry Henry, or so his teammates tell me.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; \u201cThey have my back at all times. Whenever I get tackled or fouled, they rush in, kind of like my personal bodyguards.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; \u201cDoes at all times also mean when you\u2019ve been abused?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; \u201cYeap.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes it happen often? Is it something that you consider every time you come down to play?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, not really. But then again that\u2019s the shitty thing about it. You don\u2019t expect it and then if it happens it catches you of guard.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_33820\" style=\"width: 624px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33820\" class=\"wp-image-33820\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-3-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"315\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-3-1.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-3-1-300x154.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-3-1-1024x525.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-3-1-768x393.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-3-1-1536x787.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 614px) 100vw, 614px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-33820\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rishaad&#8217;s &#8220;bodyguards&#8221;<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_33821\" style=\"width: 583px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33821\" class=\"wp-image-33821\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-4-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"573\" height=\"381\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-4-1.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-4-1-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-4-1-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-4-1-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-4-1-1536x1021.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 573px) 100vw, 573px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-33821\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Team talk<\/p><\/div>\n<p>After a thrilling 4-4 draw, as one would expect from an amateur league game, we drive home. It was a good day for him, both in game and out. He scored and assisted once and no incidents occurred.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLike I was saying, it\u2019s weird when it happens. At least for me you know? Other people go get angry, or sad, or don\u2019t bother. I find it weird. Like you wake up on a Sunday just to cuss at others?\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>I ask him if this harassment is something that could make him stop playing. \u201cNah, not at all\u201d he\u2019s quick to reply. \u201cLike I said, it\u2019s messed up that it\u2019s happening, but look around you and you can spot it anywhere if you want. I\u2019m not ruining my enjoyment because of others\u201d.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_33822\" style=\"width: 561px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33822\" class=\"wp-image-33822\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-2-e1574469409491.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"551\" height=\"345\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-33822\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;Prime Thierry Henry&#8221; enjoying his football<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\u201cThe one time it happened, yeah. I thought about just staying at home\u201d, Ray tells me.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_33823\" style=\"width: 544px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33823\" class=\"wp-image-33823\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/enfield-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"534\" height=\"401\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/enfield-1-1.jpg 640w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/enfield-1-1-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 534px) 100vw, 534px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-33823\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Enfield<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Ray, 20, is a student who aspires to get a degree in sports science. On weekends he plays for a local Enfield Town team, the place that he\u2019s been in for his whole life. He is much different than Rishaad. Whereas Rishaad will not let anyone affect his mood, Ray is actively trying to stop it from happening, by being part of certain campaigns that try to tackle racism.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not just about football really, but for the whole of the community. Whether its racial, gender or sexual preference based, abuse is not something that we should tolerate\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>He has had his fair share of being harassed, and in one case, it almost took a turn for the worse.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-33824 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-9-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"542\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-9-1.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-9-1-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-9-1-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-9-1-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-9-1-1536x1021.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 542px) 100vw, 542px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were playing a cup tie against another team from South London, at a terrible pitch and on top of that it was raining. As the game heats up, I go in for a tackle, completely whiffing and hitting the other player, a large muscular man. As I go to pick him, he gets up, sends me back with a push and starts insulting me and calling me different names. I was frozen\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>A massive brawl erupted right in front of him, as his teammates came in pushing and shouting, then the players from the opposing side doing the same thing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a insane, like one of those videos you see online from like games where everyone gets so angry and they try to punch one another. Luckily, because it was an official FA Sunday Cup tie, the thing quickly blew off as neither we or they wanted to lose the match and whatever else could have followed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-33825 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-7-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"574\" height=\"381\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-7-1.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-7-1-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-7-1-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-7-1-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/11\/image-7-1-1536x1021.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 574px) 100vw, 574px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Before I leave, I ask what\u2019s the thing that has stuck with him from that incident. In contrast to Rishaad, who questions why someone would wake up and do that, Ray says: \u201cHow his teammates came rushing in to back him up. His black teammates. I still don\u2019t get it. There is no way that they didn\u2019t hear him while he yelled those things, but when my team flew in so did they. It\u2019s like they didn\u2019t care because it wasn\u2019t happening to them?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\u201cAll the more reason for me and others to try and stop it from happening to other people\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>*Ray didn\u2019t want any photo of his online<\/p>\n<p>Words, Infographic and pictures by: Alex Papagiannis<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recent sporting news have mainly been dominated by all the racism incidents, that seem to be appearing at a bigger rate by the day. Just two days ago, Shaktar Donetsk\u2019s Taison, got handed a one-match&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":476,"featured_media":33831,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/476"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33805"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33805\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33831"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}