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The 2016 AFL season is almost upon us and we can only hope that it’s fundamentally different from the 2015 version.
Not because Hawthorn won again (although as a Collingwood supporter that’s partly true). No, we hope that 2016 isn’t smeared with racism and the widespread abuse like 2015.
As the supporters, we need to make the change…
Without a doubt, the most significant issue of 2015 was the racial discrimination directed towards Adam Goodes.The raucous booing of Goodes while playing at Domain Stadium (and other venues) will linger long in the memory.
It was a blight on the sport and one that could have been better handled on all accounts. Only last week, AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan apologised to Goodes for the slow and limited response from the AFL Commission.
Beyond Goodes, there have been many other incidents of racist behaviour on Australian sporting fields. Two weeks ago, students from Reddam College, an esteemed private school on Sydney’s North Shore, repeatedly yelled “F***ing Jews” while playing a ‘friendly’ soccer match against Moriah College.
These anti-Semitic remarks are a call back to an era of violence and hatred. The boys were only in Year 8.
More disturbing was the response by the Reddam principal: “I am sure the boys were unaware how hurtful and derogatory their actions were”.
That may be true, but questions must be asked where they initially heard such language? Just like the Goodes incident, the denial of intention appears to be masquerading as an excuse for overt racism.
These incidents speak to the general attitude of Australian society – we accept racism too easily. ‘What happens on the field, stays on the field’, and furthermore, ‘crowd chants during a game will be forgotten afterwards’.
These attitudes have led to a long-term underreporting and denial of the existence of racism in sport, particularly at a local level. More importantly, they deny any harm or vilification of the victim. This ‘Australian’ attitude simply assumes that he or she will get over it.
This is wrong and it’s unjust.
It’s time that Australian sport had a conversation about the impact of racism and put in place measures to address it.
While historically not renown for their response to racism, over the past decade the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has put in place significant anti-racism measures.
Working in collaboration with the FARE network, an anti-discrimination NGO, UEFA has created a model for capturing racism and discrimination data. The FARE network train observers to take photos and video footage of racism incidents they witness during the game, and then provide a report of their findings.
UEFA use these findings as evidence of racism and form the basis for punishments that are handed down. For the first offence, clubs will be punished with a partial stadium closure. For the second offence, clubs will be handed a huge fine and ordered to play one match behind closed doors. Just this week, UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against Manchester FC and Liverpool FC following their recent Europa Cup match.
Ultimately, players and clubs get punished for their supporters’ misbehaviour. This creates a new level of ownership, a new level of responsibility. It promotes the need for sports clubs and players to act.
While implementing such measures in Australia may be considered to be an extreme measure, such actions could demonstrate a commitment to eradicating racism. Understanding the prevalence of racism is the first step towards educating the community.
In the meantime, we as supporters can initiate grassroots change by actively reporting racism at sports matches. We can remove the denial of racism in Australian sport and seek to begin a new era of respect.
#RacismItStopsWithMe
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