Football should have the ability to unite, not divide

When I heard on the radio that England fans had booed players for taking the knee, I thought I had misheard. Unfortunately I hadn’t. A number of England fans booed the players on the 2nd June before their match against Austria. I won’t go into the detail of why taking the knee is most certainly NOT political, I’ve written about it before. 

Every year that a Euros or World Cup starts, there’s usually a buzz around the country, bringing people together. However, it’s undeniable that increasingly so, football is becoming more divisive. I saw a post on instagram this morning from @everydayracism that read: ‘Everyday racism is watching the football at home because your local venues are not safe from racism’. I’m not sure about everyone who identifies as Black or ethnically diverse but I’ve never felt safe watching the football in a pub that’s typically not diverse, especially when alcohol is involved.

People definitely have a stereotype of an England fan in their head but that’s not everyone. I’ve watched all the tournaments from a young age with my dad and have specific memories of Euro 1996. Footballers in the UK have been subject to increased racism in the recent years and post George Floyd’s tragic murder have taken the knee to express support for Black Lives Matter and stand against racism. 

I can’t imagine what it’s like to be a player who is booed by their own fans for existing?! Funnily enough people can’t seem to justify why they would boo fans as explained in this LBC interview. These are the same fans who will cheer when a Black player scores a goal. The same fans who have children that Marcus Rashford is supporting to feed. Somehow the maths doesn’t add up.

Players such as Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford have used their platform as players to :

• Be vocal supporters on racial equality and leading an anti-racism campaign
• Sterling has created a charity foundation to help disadvantaged children including providing university scholarships and work placements
• Rashford’s creation of a monumental campaign - ‘Feeding Britain’s Children’ to tackle child hunger

Both players have received a huge amount of racial abuse yet they continue to be the role models so many young people need to see. Rashford was honoured with an MBE last year after the government was forced to do a u-turn and extend free school meals to children from low-income families during school holidays. This year, Sterling has been awarded an MBE for his services to racial equality in sport.

Whilst I’m delighted for them, it’s sad to know that there are MBE’s for services to racial equality instead of just having equality. Especially when it comes from Buckingham Palace who banned ethnic minorities from office roles. Seems a bit backwards. 

Linkedin readers probably aren’t the ones that need to realise that football should unite and not divide. The players aren’t asking for much - just equal treatment and respect to their stand against racism. 

As Gary Lineker says ‘if you boo England players for taking the knee, you’re part of the reason why players are taking the knee’.