The National Coordinator against Discrimination and Racism recently called on the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) to punish football clubs at the highest level in the Netherlands with points reductions when discrimination or racism is involved. According to him, the KNVB has not yet done enough to tackle the problem. Jacco van Sterkenburg, endowed professor of race, inclusion and sports media at ESHCC, can imagine that points deduction could work, though, as supporters might then start calling each other to account for their behaviour. He explained discrimination and racism in football on Nieuwsuur on Monday, 26 June.
Institutional and unconscious
Dutch football has a racism problem, and it's more than just jungle noises and chanting. "Football boards are often white male networks," Jacco says. "Directors look within their networks for coaches and they too are often white males." In addition, interviews show that players suffer from stereotyping, which means they are seen as good athletes, for example, but not leaders. This is also why captains of teams are often white. In this sense, there is racism on several levels, but often in an institutional, unconscious way.
Unfair
The KNVB is aware of the problem and has drawn up an action plan. But it has not yet had the desired effect; the proclamations remain. Jacco also thinks it is unfair that stricter action is taken against thrown objects than against, for example, anti-Semitic chants throughout the stadium. "That is wry and does not have the right proportionality."
Jacco also attended other venues to speak on the subject. He attended RADAR Rotterdam on Thursday 29 June to speak about discrimination in amateur football. On the same day, he spoke at Pakhuis de Zwijger in Amsterdam about gender stereotypes in media coverage of women's football.
- Researcher
- More information
Watch the full item in the News Hour broadcast, starting at minute 32 (in Dutch).