Racism has been an issue in soccer for years, but Home Security in England is trying to fix the problem. Online racism is no longer acceptable in soccer, and the abusers will be banned from matches for up to 10 years. This is the first time online hate will be a bannable offense.
Home Security Priti Patel is bringing forward legislation after black players in England faced intense racism following the Euro 2020 final.
“This summer we saw the beautiful game marred by disgraceful racism from online trolls, who hid behind their keyboards and abused our footballers. Racism is unacceptable and for too long football has been marred by this shameful prejudice. Those responsible for appalling racist abuse online must be punished. The changes to the law I am announcing will make sure they are banned from attending football matches.”
Home Security
There are currently 1,300 people banned from matches in England and Wales, but the new law will add more. Violating this ban will result in a hefty fine and a potential prison sentence. The bans last between three and ten years.
These bans are issued after a conviction of a football-related offense or from a complaint from the police. Everyone will adjust to the new rules, but the goal is to remove hate from the game.
“Racist abuse flooding footballers’ social media feeds all hours of the day has a profound impact on everyone involved in the game and it has to end. We are tackling this abhorrent behavior in all forms. As well as banning racists from games, we are introducing ground-breaking new laws to stamp out abuse online and make sure tech firms tackle the hate on their sites.”
Nadine Dorries, Culture Security
Social media in sports
In an age where social media is taking over, all sports suffer from this same issue. Racism, and hate in general, is a big problem in every sport.
“The banning order regime should also be extended to other sports.”
Shadow Sports Minister Lord Bassam
Racism has no place in sports or our world, and it is time for other nations to step up as well. A black player should never have to open his Twitter to see monkey and banana emojis like England players did.
