Page 14 - Issue12-English

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|P A G E 13 I Is ss su ue e 1 12 2- October 2019

Chants and Bananas: Racism in

European Football

*Omar Khaled, Fourth Year, Economics Revised and Translated By: Sherry Asaad
In football, we live different moments and feelings with our favorite stopped playing in Italy. This issue never closes and the last incident
team, happiness, sadness, passion, and fear. As we live those moments, the was before the international halt when the Inter Milan striker Lukaku
players also live through theseexact moments, but sometimes players face was subjected to racist chants in the Cagliari match. This
more difficulties and go through harsher moments when they are forced to phenomenon is clearly very common in Italian stadiums. Strangely,
play while listening to racist comments on their color or religion.Some however, this time the Curva Nord – the Inter Milan fans'
players stand against these comments while others collapse in front of them association- released a statement commenting on Lukaku’s incident
and don’t continue inside the field. This is racism, the worst phenomenon and their response was as follows:
that could face the players in the playfield.
"Hello Romello.. We are writing to you on behalf of the Curva
On the one hand, this phenomenon does not happen in our Arab stadiums Nord, we are sorry that you thought that what happened in Cagliari
because we do not have genuine fans in the true sense of the word, but from was a racist event. Please accept this behavior from the Italian fans
the other hand, in Europe, this phenomenon can be found inside every as a sign of respect andintimidation from you and from the goals that
stadium. As such, some players faced racism like the Egyptian player you can score against them and not because they are racists. True
"Mohamed Salah", where in 2017 Westham's fans described him as a racism is a very different story and all Italian club fans know this
"Terrorist" just because he is Muslim. Nevertheless, Salah managed to thing, when you state that racism is a problem that must be fought in
overcome this situation and made such a great performance and scored Italy, helps repression against the Italian masses, including us, and
three goals.Even more, the most prominent manifestations of racism are contributes to creating a problem that does not really exist.” The
towards people of color. As there were many manifestations of racism association's response was to justify these chants as a means of
either by chanting or throwing banana peel s on some players, that’s what pressuring the opponent and not with the aim of racism, but even if it
happened with the Arsenal player "Aubameyang" in 2018, but he was able was to encourage and get the opponent out of focus,what about his feelings?
to carry on and had a good performance in the Derby. In addition, there are What about how he feels getting kicked off the stadium, crying like
more crucial scenes,just like what happened with the Senegalese Giant Muntari? No matter how one names it, racism is a heinous action, whether it
"Koulibaly" Napoli defender who was sent off last year during the game be about religion, color, or anything else.
You may be subjected to racism from the opposing fans, but what if your
against Inter Milan upon losing his emotions as a result of the racist cheers fans are racist towards your color even before you play for them?T hat’s
of the fans, that described him as a monkey. what happened with the Brazilian player Malcomwhen he moved to the
Russian team Zenit, and only a few days later, the Zenit fan association
Nevertheless, there were supporters of inside the stadium supported reacted to his joining the team in a statement where they announced that
Koulibaly including his coach Ancelotti who asked the referee to stop the they refuse to have play a dark skinned player in their team, to maintain the
match until these chants stop. Koulibaly's crisis has not only resonated in tradition of the team that all players are white skinned. The question is, what
sports, but also Politicians also talked about it that the mayor of Milan are these traditions that would make anyone racist towards the player's skin
demanded that the captain's badgeofInter Milan’s football’s club isto be color? How can it be damaging for any team to have a black player?
given to the player "Asamoah" and also closed the Giuseppe Meazza
stadium. In addition to that, "Matteo Salvini,"the interior minister, In conclusion, This phenomenon has led the European Union in 2017 to
denounced what happened in that match and called an emergency meeting launch the campaign "No to racism" in all European games and the signing
to discuss what has happened. The victim numbers are still on the rise. of heavy fines on clubs, and depriving some teams from their fans for
several matches, but it is clear that these sanctions are not deterring, where
Another incident of racism took place when the Ghanaian "Muntari" was this issue is still persists in terms of the increase of racist fans and the
described as a monkey, he could not continue the match and when he asked increase in numbers of their victims. This phenomenon is also still present
the referee to call off the game for not tolerating these insults, the referee the European Union, which will make it hard to eliminate it completely from
kicked him out crying. At the end, "Muntari" left his team and the European stadiums.

|P A G E 13 I Is ss su ue e 1 12 2- October 2019 ELITE