Racism in football

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Aubameyang vs Tottenham

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Back in December 2018, Arsenal played Tottenham in a thrilling North London Derby at the Emirates Stadium where emotions were undoubtedly high, however an incident took place which never should happen in the modern game. Arsenal took the lead through an early penalty which Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang cooly dispatched, with the home sides celebrations taking place in the corner of the pitch nearest to the away side. This seemed to rile the Tottenham fans and as a result a minority of the supporters decided to throw banana skins at the striker. Unfortunately most teams have supporters such as theses in their fan base, who ruin the reputation of how they are perceived as a whole. Events like this shouldn’t be taking place in today’s society, as nobody deserves to be racially abused, especially when they are simply doing their job.

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The offender, Averof Panteli, was later banned from football for four years and fined £500 by magistrates court. He admitted to throwing the banana skin, but denied that there was any racial motivation, with his lawyer claiming Averof picked it up because it was the nearest thing to him. It was later discovered that only £100 of the fine was because of racial implication, which to me sums up the problem as a whole. In my opinion, the punishment wasn’t harsh enough in this case, they tried to defend their actions by saying the Arsenal players were “goading” the fans, however this isn’t an adequate excuse for retaliating with a racist gesture. I believe the ban of 4 years is slightly lenient and probably should have been at least 5 years, however the fine of just £500 is ridiculous. This type of punishment will mean this issue never fully goes away, as for some fans it will be worth taking the consequences, in order for them to keep behaving the same manner. I believe a more suitable suggestion would have been for the ban and fine to stay the same, however the offender has to attend monthly meetings/presentations on how racism affects people’s lives. These could easily be set up by the FA in an attempt to educate fans on how their behaviour isn’t acceptable.

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Balotelli vs Verona

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During a Serie A match between Verona and Brescia in November, Balotelli threatened to walk off the pitch as a result of fan’s from the home side doing monkey chants at him. Unfortunately in Italy and many other places across the world, situations like this have been only getting worse, with players such as Moise Kean also finding themselves in similar positions. During the second half, the Verona fans started shouting abusive chants from the stands, with the Italian kicking the ball into the stands to let them know what he thought of it. The striker was originally booked by the referee, but later had it waved off due to the circumstances. The stadium announcer also warned the fans that the game would be abandoned if the chants continued, which I believe is the correct protocol to follow.

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As a result of the events that took place, a 38 year old man was handed a five year stadium ban which will see him unable to attend sporting events in the European Union until 2025 along with stopping him from visiting areas where fan frequently gather on match days. Verona also received a one-match partial stadium closure due to their fans actions. In my opinion, this is a pathetic punishment for an act which is completely unacceptable, for the persecutor to only receive a five year ban, with no fine or any signs of the club taking steps to ensure this doesn’t happen again is outrageous. Verona should have made a point of this incident and banned him for life from attending any of their games to set an example for other people who wish to follow in his footsteps. Also, I think that the Italian Football Federation should be communicating to every club the consequences for their fans doing this, maybe a point deduction would be more effective? If this isn’t possible then in the future games should be abandoned with the team of the fans doing it, technically forfeiting and the points awarded to the opposition. It may then start to get fans thinking about whether it’s worth the consequences.

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Sterling vs His own fans

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England International and Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling was racial abused by his own fans during a game against Bournemouth. The incident took place when Sterling was celebrating a goal he scored, which makes the situation even more bizarre. According to reports the 25 year-old didn’t hear the comments at the time, however multiple fans in the stands heard what the supporter said. This isn’t the first time Sterling has been racially abused when playing football, as back in October when playing for England against Bulgaria a number of the travelling nation were subject to monkey chants by the Bulgarian supporters. Raheem was able to hit back at the supporters by scoring a brace in England’s 0-6 win, also leading to a section of the stadium removed due to their behaviour.

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Ian Baldry was later banned for 5 years along with being sentenced to 200 hours of community service and ordered to pay £170 in court costs. This whole situation is disgusting in my opinion, to racially abuse one of your own players, especially when they have just scored a goal for your team is beyond me. Punishment wise, I think it was justified and I was glad to see community service was included as it means they now have a criminal record for their actions. Not only this, but I believe Manchester City should have banned him from all their games for life, as they need to make a point out of the situation and show that it’s unacceptable.

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