Racism and European Football

This chapter locates racism in European football and shows that the focus has been on racism from fans, but not in the hierarchies of the game. It outlines the anti-racism organisations that have campaigned tirelessly to try to eradicate racism from football. In July 2015, the FC Ufa and ex-Arsenal player Emannuel Frimpong was sent off for reacting to Spartak Moscow fans who aimed racist chants at him throughout the game. Much of the academic and media focus has been on racism in the stadium. Racism is always seen as a problem of a minority of fans attending matches. Responses from governing bodies and clubs are wildly different across Europe. Governing bodies simply deny racism or pass a superficial sanction. The disclosure of private texts between the former manager of Cardiff, Mackay, and his sporting director, Iain Moody, illustrated how groups were identified on the basis of their perceived race or ethnicity.