Racism And English Football

Racism and English Football: For Club and Country analyses the contemporary manifestations, outcomes and implications of the fractious relationship between English professional football and race. Racism, we were told, had disappeared from English football. It was relegated to a distant past, and displaced onto other European countries. When its appearance could not be denied, it was said to have reappeared. This book reveals that this was not true. Racism did not go away and did not return. It was here all along. The book argues that racism is firmly embedded and historically rooted in the game’s structures, cultures and institutions, and operates as a form of systemic discrimination. It addresses the ways that racism has tainted English football, and the manner in which football has, in turn, influenced racial meanings and formations in wider society. Equally, it explores how football has facilitated forms of occupational multiculture, black player activism and progressive fan politics that resist divisive social phenomena and offer a degree of hope for an alternative future. Focusing on a diverse range of topics, in men’s and women’s football, at club and international level, Racism and English Football extends and expands our knowledge of how racism occurs and, critically, how it can be challenged. This is an essential read for scholars and students working on race, ethnicity, sport and popular culture, together with those interested in the social and organisational dynamics of English professional football more generally.

This book explores the key issues of racism, anti-racism and identity in British football. It relates the history of black players in the game, analyses the racism they have experienced, and evaluates the efficacy of anti-racist campaigns. The efficacy of the policing of racism is also assessed. The nationalism and xenophobia evident in much of the media's coverage of major tournaments is highlighted in the context of the way that English, Scottish and Welsh identities are constructed within British football.

This study provides an account of the role of race, nation and identity within contemporary football cultures. Focused on four clubs, this work shows how different clubs understand and experience race in different ways.

Elucidating the linkages between race, ethnicity, gender and masculinity in football, this volume addresses topics such as the experience of Muslim players, recruitment of African players, devolution and national identities, minority ethnic clubs, "mixed-race" players, sectarianism, and foreign club ownership.

‘It’s not banter. It’s racist.’Is football doing enough to give racism the boot? The global Black Lives Matter campaign has given greater exposure to the extent of the structural and systemic racism that exists in all strata of our society. It has provided renewed impetus to the urgent need to challenge and eradicate racism in all its forms and wherever it is found. Sadly, sport has not been immune from this, especially so in the case of football. For too long, there were attempts to hide and mitigate racist attitudes and actions within the game, but thanks to the growing profile and visibility of black and minority ethnic (BAME) players both past and present - Viv Anderson, Cyrille Regis, Jimmy Carter, Les Ferdinand, Pat Nevin and Ruud Gullit - to name just a few and almost three decades of education and campaigning led by Kick It Out, attitudes have changed. However, there's still a great deal left to do. Throughout his entire journalistic career, leading sportswriter Harry Harris has championed the fight against racism in football. Now, within these pages, he shines a timely spotlight on the Beautiful Game, revealing the forces within football that have both helped expose and challenge racism - and, at times, sadly, hinder more rapid positive change. Includes exclusive commentary from Greg Dyke, Glenn Hoddle, Ivor Baddiel, Mek Stein, and Jermain Defoe. ‘Highly commendable and will keep the debate raging’ – John Barnes

European Football is Black and White offers an engaging interpretation of a disturbing phenomenon in Europe's favorite sport: football violence fueled by racism. While many fans across Europe have used football to further destructive, ethnocentric agendas, there are also Europe-wide initiatives in the football stadium to combat the almost endemic problem. Christos Kassimeris analyses political ideologies that have influenced football supporters, drawing attention to the increasing politicization of football and the footballization of politics. He also considers the contributions of nationalism, social class, and media coverage before assessing attempts by various groups, from the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) network to the European Union itself, to rectify the problem. Ultimately, football needs to be dissociated from both racism and politics for the sport to flourish. Unlike more traditional attempts to explain the football violence and racism, this book seeks to establish a Europe-wide as well as national explanatory framework for this racism from a political perspective. This study will draw the interest not only of scholars across the Humanities and Social Sciences, but also of ordinary football supporters.

Focusing on a number of contemporary research themes and placing them within the context of palpable changes that have occurred within football in recent years, this timely collection brings together essays about football, crime and fan behaviour from leading experts in the fields of criminology, law, sociology, psychology and cultural studies.

This study provides an account of the role of race, nation and identity within contemporary football cultures. Focused on four clubs, this work shows how different clubs understand and experience race in different ways.