''Sport could play an emancipatory role.''
Jacco van Sterkenburg
Endowed Professor
Jungle noises from the stands, hate on social media, but also unintentional stereotyping and a lack of diversity in the boardroom: racism in football is a persistent and multifaceted phenomenon. Prof. Jacco van Sterkenburg and PhD candidate Palesa Mashigo conduct research and advise national and international football associations.
In November 2019, Excelsior player Ahmad Mendes Moreira was subjected to such verbal abuse from the stands during a match in Den Bosch that his teammates walked off the pitch in shock. The striker, born in Schiedam and of Guinean descent, decided not to report the incident to the police. But the genie was out of the bottle. 'This case brought this social problem under the spotlight,' says Jacco van Sterkenburg, professor at Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication. 'My research into racism in sport suddenly received a lot of media attention.'
''The Erasmus University Rotterdam Fund has been involved from the outset and has expressed its support for the chair.''
Jacco van Sterkenburg
Endowed Professor
This resulted in the creation of the special chair Race, Inclusion and Communication in 2021, with Palesa Mashigo appointed as PhD Candidate. Van Sterkenburg: ''My chair is co-funded by FIFPRO [international football union], UEFA and FARE, a network organisation against racism in football. They provide support and input, but we are academically independent. The Erasmus University Rotterdam Fund has been involved from the outset and has expressed its support for the chair.''
Lack of diversity in the boardroom
Racism manifests itself not only through chanting, but can also be more implicit. Van Sterkenburg: "Our first sub-study concerned the organisation of football clubs in various European countries. Despite all kinds of policy initiatives, the boardroom is still not very diverse. We asked leaders in professional football what they noticed about racism and what measures they might have taken. The results do not show much self-reflection: ''Look,'' they say. ''Our team consists partly of black players, and they earn a good salary too! But diversity on the pitch is not the whole story, of course.''
Coaches of colour are also very much in the minority. Van Sterkenburg: "There is no shortage of ambition. They obtain the same qualifications, but still fail to secure positions. Our question is: why is that? There seems to be a stereotypical view that black people are good athletes, but not good leaders. This assumption is reproduced by the football media and the football public, among others, as my research How racist is football and do audiences react? shows. This seems to be one of the reasons why black coaches are appointed less often. Thus, the prejudice persists."
Professionals and amateurs
This year, we are investigating how professional footballers experience racial discrimination. Van Sterkenburg: "Many professional footballers are reluctant to speak out. They want to play football, not complain. Through FIFPRO, we have been able to interview players. Based on that, we want to conduct a broader survey. In addition, we will conduct specific research into online discrimination. Despite the fact that it happens on such a massive, open and anonymous scale, we still don't have a clear picture."
The researchers are not focusing solely on professional football. Van Sterkenburg: ''Next year, we will investigate discrimination in amateur football. That is, after all, the cradle, a breeding ground and educational place where children learn more than just how to score a goal. If a child hears comments such as ''You play like a homo'', it will shape them.''
Impact
''It's great that we're close to the action. The recommendations resulting from our research are appreciated. We naturally hope that our vision will ultimately provide relevant input for concrete steps to be taken by, for example, UEFA. Ideally, the football world would be a little more proactive. So not just reacting to the next Mendes Moreira, but actively and regularly stating that discrimination will not be tolerated. Footballers can be used as role models in this regard, including at the local level. In this way, sport could play an emancipatory role."