Is football still plagued by problems of racism?

Fifa has launched numerous communication campaigns to say no to racism in football.

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• The Alvaro Gonzalez-Neymar affair has shed light on the issues of racism in football.

• Asked about this, Noël Le Graët explained that, according to him, "the racist phenomenon in football does not exist or hardly exists".

• A media release that outraged many personalities in the world of football and which today pushes us to bring this subject to light.

Should a Federation President say that?

Invited this Tuesday on the set of BFM Business to speak out after the alleged racist insults uttered by the Marseillais Alvaro Gonzalez against Neymar during the PSG-OM Classic on Sunday, Noël Le Graët explained that "on a match he there may be gaps, but otherwise we are less than 1% of difficulty today ”.

“When a black scores a goal, forgive me, the whole stadium is up.

The racist phenomenon in sport, and in football in particular, does not exist or hardly exists ”, he concluded, causing a tidal wave of indignation on social networks, on the part of ordinary Internet users or - more rarely - leading personalities in the world of football.

"It becomes embarrassing," tweeted the former international Olivier Dacourt, author of a shock documentary for Canal + on the issue of racism in football entitled

.

Contacted by 

, he agreed to clarify his thoughts.

“When there is such denial, it's hard to know what to say.

It's amazing… I have no words actually.

I made a documentary on it, for once I showed that there was still racism in football, he maintains.

When he says that there are only 1% of racist facts in football, well… So we can't let that be said.

What then say all the players who testified in the document?

[Eto'o, Balotelli, Vieira, Umtiti, Bell] That means they're fabulous, right?

You have to be serious at some point… ”.

It becomes embarrassing 🙈.

https://t.co/UAVOfJggO8

- Dacourt Olivier (@dacourtolivier) September 15, 2020

Already outraged by these words on the set of

Olivier Rouyer has also given a layer.

“When he says 'when a black scores a goal' for me it's almost racist.

It is an extremely clumsy demonstration, annoys the former player of the ASNL.

He does not seem aware of the problems in our society.

He had already annoyed me when he spoke of homophobia and there he said exactly the same thing while minimizing the subject, it is unbearable.

Go say that in football there is little or no racism, it's crazy!

"

A phenomenon that is difficult to quantify

All the people contacted for this article winked at the famous "1%" referred to by Noël Le Graët when quantifying racist facts in the stadiums.

A figure on which Augustin Senghor, the president of the Senegalese football federation, has also stopped in an open letter to Noël Le Graët this Thursday: "Racism is a 100% reality in world sport in general and in football in particular because the unacceptable cannot be listed on a proportionality and percentage scale.

Racism is unacceptable in its entirety, there is neither 1% nor 30% and there is no half-racism.

"

Although not having real quantitative studies on the question on the scale of France or Europe, simple research on the Internet allows us to see that no major European championship is spared by the subject.

In France, Balotelli has complained twice (during matches in Dijon and Bastia) that he heard monkey cries every time he touched the ball.

In Spain, Luis Suarez (who at the time of Liverpool had been sanctioned after calling Mancunien Patrice Evra a "nigga") received a banana thrown from the stands while in England, last season was marked by very many incidents of the same style.

On January 31, the British Home Office published eloquent figures on this subject: according to him, racist incidents increased by more than 50% during the 2018-2019 season.

In a report dated 2015, Unesco explained that “the existence of racism and discrimination in football” was “nothing secret”.

"Although many actions have already been implemented to combat this phenomenon, observers and experts believe that there are still too many problems and that the measures taken to address them have not been effective enough", this report concluded.

Not seeing the problems of racism in football is even less finding solutions to fight against it.

President Le Graët, come down with me to the edge of the field to see that racism is unfortunately present in football.

pic.twitter.com/BsjkeSZF76

- Basile Boli (@BasileBoli_) September 17, 2020

Amateur football is not spared

“I do not think that Noël Le Graët is racist, continues Olivier Dacourt.

It is not there the problem, it is the message which it returns which is not good.

Because we all know it exists and if we deny it, what message are we sending to the amateur world?

All those who are going to play in the countryside and who are going to be insulted on grounds where there are no cameras, well no problem since the president said there were none.

It normalizes human stupidity.

Behind, it can take crazy proportions at the amateur level.

"

Victim of racist insults during a trip to Metz with Valenciennes in 2008, the former Moroccan international Abdeslam Ouaddou, now converted to coach, knows what he is talking about.

"I had the opportunity to get my hands dirty at the amateur level by training teams of young people in Nancy and I can tell you that what we hear on weekends is a disaster", s' worries the former Rennais.

"It would be necessary that there go every Sunday on the grounds, he will understand what is happening there, rather than having his ass screwed in the presidential platform", gets carried away Olivier Rouyer.

"Most of the time we put it all under the rug"

For Abdeslam Ouaddou, the problem is also at the level of the authorities: “I realized that when a problem of this nature occurs, the Regional Leagues try to put it under the carpet to minimize the phenomenon.

When you go to the disciplinary committees, it's not very nice what happens sometimes.

In fact, it is on all floors that it is difficult to see the evidence… ”.

Which is not without consequences.

Olivier Rouyer: “Even when the most important person in French football denies the problems, it inevitably comes downstairs and blocks any attempt to change things.

I pity the leaders, the poor, after such statements.

Because when they have to face these problems, these conflicts, they are often destitute, not equipped, not armed to fight since at the top one says "move there is nothing to see".

"

At the origin of a study "on abuses in amateur and professional sport" dating from 2018, the Licra (International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism) considers however that it is "difficult to rely on these studies since they were done in the form of an anonymous questionnaire and answered who wanted.

"" However, in these cases, the clubs having this type of problem do not want to make it known too much, recognizes its general delegate Stéphane Nivet.

But we know that there are racist incidents in amateur football.

Except that most of the time we put all this under the carpet, there is a real omerta on the subject.

However, it is not by denying a problem that we will manage to solve it… ”.

🗣️📢 “I'm starting to get fed up with hearing such bullshit from a president.” @ Olivierrouyer rants after the remarks of the president of the #FFF, Noel Le Graët, concerning racism in the soccer.

#EDS pic.twitter.com/X4Ln4Hv8fw

- THE EVENING TEAM (@lequipedusoir) September 15, 2020

Initiatives, yes, but is it enough?

A victim of racist acts too at a time when, in the French championship, we still allowed ourselves to throw bananas at players of color, the former Cameroonian goalkeeper Joseph-Antoine Bell admits, however, "timid progress".

“We talk about it, we recognize it, except Le Graët, and we have taken measures.

They are not radical but they have the merit of existing: the referees can decide to stop a match in the event of an incident [an initiative furthermore encouraged by Le Graët], the authorities have become aware of this and they try to to act.

In my day I was alone against everyone.

"In the case of the cries of monkeys suffered by Mario Balotelli in the jersey of OGC Nice in Furiani in 2017, the LFP had for example imposed on the Corsican club the withdrawal of a suspended point and the closure of one of the stands of his stadium for three matches.

“It is true that we must also salute the French Football Federation because they are putting things in place, action plans, workshops, communication campaigns with leagues and clubs.

Well done, greet Abdeslam Ouaddou.

On the other hand, if we carry out this type of action plan, it is because the problem exists.

It is totally in contradiction with what the president of the Fed is saying.

"Contacted by

, the FFF did not respond to our requests.

Before hanging up, the young Nancy coach also wanted to say about the president of 3F that he "respects him enormously for everything he has done vis-à-vis the federation and the selection": “He gave a great image to the France team.

That's why I hope it's awkwardness on his part and nothing else ”.

Same wish formulated by Auguste Senghor in his open letter to the boss of the FFF: "I reiterate my great respect and my immense consideration, Dear President Le Graët, but please do not say that racism does not exist or hardly exists in your stages!

This is not correct and I know you know it.

"

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• Noël le Graët

• FFF

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• Racism

• Soccer