Facing the Inevitable: The Never-ending Cycle of Abuse and Racism over Football

Opinion Analysis by Tala Karkanawi, Contributor

July 27th, 2021

The EURO 2020 has opened a door of opportunity for the discussion of issues such as domestic abuse and racism, especially after the championship’s end. Despite football being an exciting and beautiful game to many, a dark side of this game has been uncovered for decades now, disregarding all its significance to millions of people around the world. Football is known for uniting people together despite their differences. Knowing that this sport also causes a lot of problems to people is a huge issue. In this article, only domestic abuse and racism will be covered in this article because they are highly significant topics to be discussed, and unfortunately, still issues to be reckoned with as we approach 2022.

Domestic Abuse

While football matches alone do not cause domestic abuse, research shows that there is an underlying connection between a team’s win or loss and the percentage of domestic abuse, especially in England. In England, domestic abuse rates increase by 26% when the national team wins or draws a match, while a 38% increase is seen when England loses, according to research done by Lancaster University in 2013.

 In this case, domestic abuse refers to a variety of different behavioural patterns, ranging from physical, sexual and emotional abuse to threatening behaviour which encompasses either stalking, harassment, and assault whether from a friend, family, partner, or an ex-partner. The offence for harassment and assault falls under the Offences against the Person act 1861 which could lead to a sentence of 3 to 15 years in prison, hence making it a serious crime.

When it comes to domestic abuse, it is extremely hard for the victim to come out and ask for help. The National Centre for Domestic Violence (NCDV) mentioned that the increase in the occurrence of domestic abuse seen during the EURO 2020 was just the ‘tip of the iceberg’, knowing that multiple victims might ask for help in the following weeks – if they eventually do ask for help, which is not always the case.

After England’s loss to Italy in the finals of the EURO 2020, victims of domestic abuse were urged to call charities and lines for domestic abuse as soon as possible. With the increase in alcohol consumption and the intense emotions surrounding the championship, emotions have been heightened for the victims of domestic abuse, and mostly women have suffered deeply for this. Instead of celebrating a victory of a game, or handling a loss of a game, victims of domestic abuse are instead waiting anxiously to face what might be coming for them, and this should not be acceptable in any way, especially over a game of football.

 A new study that was recently published analysed that 523,546 of the domestic abuse cases that were reported to the Great Manchester Police between the years of 2012 and 2019 were after the 780 games that were played between Manchester City and Manchester United during those years.

Other than the physical abuse that is usually on hand, emotional abuse is also committed by abusers. This type of behaviour is called coercive control, and became a crime under section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015. Most women who suffer from domestic abuse in England are also faced with coercive control which can go under multiple categories, including feeling controlled, dependent, isolated, or terribly scared most of the time. Even though football is used as an excuse for abusers, most women feel scared and afraid before and after a football match. The feeling of never knowing what is going to happen next is the feeling that dominates the psyche of many women in England, and generally most victims of domestic abuse.

Regardless of who wins and who loses, domestic abuse is a universal phenomenon that happens in England and everywhere around the world. Football is not the issue here, but it is the emotions of perpetrators that are dealt in a violent way instead. Instead of putting the blame on the game, a solution has to be made by allowing the perpetrators to deal with their emotions in a more vigorous and healthy way.

Racism

The game between Italy and England in the EURO 2020 was highly intense. Millions of people around the world, especially in England, were consumed by the game, hoping it ‘will be coming home’ after dreadful losses for decades since 1966. The game went to penalties with 3 black men in England’s team taking the penalty shots against Italy’s goalkeeper, Donnarumma. Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho were faced with millions of racist comments because they missed the penalty shot against Italy, which resulted in the loss of England.

It is important to note that most of the English players playing in England’s national team have at least one parent or grandparent from a different country, especially in the EURO 2020 squad, according to the Migration Museum.

Racism is a significant topic that has to be discussed, whether in football or outside football. The cycle of hatred and revulsion coming from racists has not decreased unfortunately, but will it ever come to an end? Can the cycle ever be broken someday?

PM Boris Johnson addressed the public after the EURO final to deliver a press conference over the racist abuse Saka, Rashford and Sancho faced. He vowed to impose new laws that would lead to a greater sentence in fines or prison. In addition, he mentioned how new laws would ‘force social media companies to take responsibility and action where this vile behaviour exists, or face fines.’ The Prime Minister also vowed to work with the police and football authorities to catch the racist abusers however it takes.

It is significant that PM Johnson addressed this situation to his country, even though he is known to be a highly controversial man regarding some topics related to immigration.

The Commission for Racial Equality, the Football Supporters Association, and the Professional Footballers Association have all worked to launch ascendancies and initiatives in order to encourage people from ethnic minorities to attend football matches. In addition, the Premier League launched an initiative called ‘No Room for Racism’ in the year of 2019 to raise awareness surrounding this issue.

Unfortunately, there have been multiple racist incidents since the early 70’s and 80’s until now that has led to the increase of racism in football, especially in England. There was a case in 2004 during a friendly match between England and Spain when English fans were chanting racist comments to the Spanish players. It was condemned later by the British government, but behaviour like this is seen in every single match, whether publically, or towards a specific player online.  

Football is a beautiful game, and a game appreciated by many. A game that gave so much hope, love, and formed connections between people from every single country around the world. However, it is also the game that is faced with a variety of issues, from abuse, racism, monopolization, and the abuse of third world countries over the capitalization of the game. It is a game that, unfortunately, has an inevitable dark side.

For anyone suffering with Domestic Abuse and is afraid to come out, please do reach out for help, there are plenty of ways to get help and support whenever it is needed. You are not alone.

Lines:

Refuge – National Domestic Abuse Helpline:  0808 2000 247

England: call 999 ask for the police – if you can’t speak, press 55 and have your call transferred to the police.

Nothern Ireland: 0800 917 14 14

Scotland: 0800 027 1234

Wales: 0800 8010 800

Violences Femmes Info – France: 3919

National Women’s Helpline – Germany: 08000 116 016

Antiviolenza Donne – Italy: 1522

Saudi Arabia: 1919

Kafa – Lebanon: 03018019