“It won’t stop, it don’t stop”… Racism, football, world politics

“It won’t stop, it don’t stop” is a line from a 1988 song by Karyn White that poignantly captures the enduring and pervasive nature of racism. This phrase can be interpreted in a broader context, highlighting how racism has persisted throughout history and continues to impact individuals and communities today. It underscores the continuous struggle for racial equality and justice.

The 2001 Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA) is the United Nations’ blueprint to combat Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance globally. Despite efforts like the 1965 international convention to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination, the United Nations acknowledges that “all around the world, too many suffer from the injustice and stigma that racism brings.”

Instances of racism are prevalent, even in sports. On the same day that members of the Argentina national football team used Instagram Live to hurl racial slurs at black players in France’s national football team, fans of Italian club Como, coached by Arsenal legend Cesc Fabregas, were accused of racist abuse towards Wolves’ Chinese forward, Hwang Hee-chan.

Argentina, which prides itself on being a ‘white’ country, historically had a significant African population, but coloured people don’t represent the country, especially La Albiceleste, the national football team.

According to a Guardian report, “In 1778, Africans and Afro-descendants made up 37 per cent of the population of what is now Argentina, according to a census by its Spanish colonial rulers.” However, recent census figures show these are less than one per cent of the population. What happened to them over time?

Countries considered some of the ‘whitest’ in Europe, like Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, have immigrants or first-generation citizens playing in their national teams. Brazil, notorious for its racist behaviour, has many players of colour.

The Oxford Reference Dictionary defines racism as “The inability or refusal to recognise the rights, needs, dignity, or value of people of particular races or geographical origins. More widely, the devaluation of various traits of character or intelligence as ‘typical’ of particular peoples.”

This definition suggests that Racism is ingrained in society, and it is unrealistic to expect football to eradicate the abhorrent behaviour.

Football often becomes a focal point for racial abuse because when athletes from marginalised ethnic groups succeed on the pitch, they become easy targets. These athletes are usually not seen as having the ability to compete with supposedly ‘superior’ beings.

Ineke van der Valk aptly describes the danger. “The myth of ‘race’ has created an enormous amount of human and social damage. In recent years, it has taken a heavy toll on human lives and caused untold suffering. It still prevents the normal development of millions of human beings and deprives civilisation of the effective cooperation of productive minds.”

Argentina’s Vice-President, Victoria Villarruel, exacerbated the feud between France and Argentina by defending the racist comments, saying, “No colonialist country is going to intimidate us for a football song or for telling the truths that they do not want to admit. Stop feigning indignation, hypocrites. Enzo, I’m with you.”

This mirrors sentiments that Jean-Marie Le Pen, France’s far-right National Front leader, expressed as he questioned the presence of black players in the French national team. Le Pen asked why many blacks represent Les Bleus. She said France “cannot recognise itself in the national side”. See the gall!

Argentina’s deputy sports minister, Julio Garro, has been sacked after advising the country’s national team captain, Lionel Messi, and Argentina Football Federation president, Claudio Tapia, to apologise for the squad singing a racist song aimed at France.

Lilian Thuram, France’s most-capped footballer, countered Le Pen, saying, “When we take to the field, we do so as Frenchmen—all of us. When people were celebrating our win, they were celebrating us as Frenchmen, not black men or white men. It doesn’t matter if we’re black or not because we’re French.”

Thuram’s statement enjoyed some support, as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz remarked after some Germans complained of their national team having many immigrants and being captained by one like Ilkay Gundogan, a player with Turkish roots. “People with migration backgrounds are part of our society, and we will not allow ourselves to be divided. We can be proud that this is also reflected in our national team.” However, this may reflect diplomacy more than reality.

Returning to the phrase “It won’t stop, it don’t stop” concisely captures the persistent nature of Racism. It calls for continued vigilance and action to combat discrimination and create a more equitable world. Football can be a starting point, but it is merely a game.

David Datro Fofana, a Chelsea player, echoed this sentiment on Instagram: “The football [world] that I like is multi-ethnic. Racism, in all its forms, should be condemned in the strongest possible terms. These acts have no place in football [the world] or even anywhere else. This fight really needs to be taken seriously by everyone in this sport.”

Ironically, the perceived aggrieved party in the current drama, France, has an economy that feeds on the natural wealth of its former West African colonies, with citizens in some of these countries already kicking out.

A multicultural national team is a source of pride when successful, but when it loses, ‘immigrants’ often bear the brunt. England’s Bukayo Saka, Jadon Sancho, and Marcus Rashford faced online abuse and death threats after their penalty loss to Italy in the 2021 UEFA European Championship final.

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Hypocrisy is evident in this context, as many who criticise others for Racism fail to address it within their societies. John Stuart Mill says, “Let not anyone pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends than that good men should look on and do nothing.” This reminds us that inaction in the face of injustice is a form of complicity.

Addressing racism requires action from leaders across the moral, political, business, and religious spheres, not just from the world of football. Football is a game and a stage for entertainment. Those with the power to enact real change must step up and fight against this deeply ingrained societal cancer.