Racialized players are fouled more (20% more), see more yellow cards (11% more) and more red cards (16% more) than fair-skinned players”
Beatrice Magistro and Morgan Wack, two academics from the universities of Toronto and Washington, respectively, have produced a study that confirms this hypothesis. The research focuses on Serie A, the main competition of Italian football, where the cases of 6,533 players who have passed through the league from 2009 to 2021 are studied. “Our results show that leather players fosca are sanctioned more often than those with lighter skin. A trend that decreases the season that there are no fans due to the pandemic (2020-2021), which prevents them from entering the stadiums”, both explain to the study
Based on this sample, Magistro and Wack conclude that darker-skinned players are flagged for more fouls, 20% more, than lighter-skinned players. In addition, they receive more yellow cards (11% more) and red cards (16% more). In relation to the data extracted from the study of the 2020-2021 season, when there were no fans in the stadiums, a decrease has been observed in the fouls pointed out to racialized players, from 3.9 with fans to 2.7 without , a similar decline that is also detected in terms of warnings. “These results show that, despite the expansion of anti-racism campaigns by both FIFA and UEFA, these race-based prejudices have persisted both in the stands and on the pitch,” they said.
One of the most recent cases in Italy is that of Inter Milan’s Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku. In the semifinals of the Cup against Juventus he was sent off for celebrating a goal, which was interpreted as a provocation by the referee. Meanwhile, the crowd scolded him with cries of “monkey” and gestures imitating the animal. Lukaku was exempted from the ban, which was later deemed unfair.
Behaviors that decrease but do not disappear
“Yes, it is true that in the 90s and at the beginning of the 21st century the situation was much worse in the stands”, remembers Alberto Edjogo-Owono. The journalist, who works as a commentator on DAZN, knows the rawest reality of racism. Born in Equatorial Guinea, he defended the colors of the Nzalang Nacional in his time as a player, and is now one of the media speakers in the fight against racial discrimination. “Some players, especially those from Central Africa, are more likely to receive bookings because they are more used to the physical contact and friction in international football, while in the leagues the bar is more severe,” he explains. However, he claims that the racist insults that come out of the stands cause a situation of anxiety in the affected player, who is more likely to be sanctioned. “It is not the same if you, at your job, go to work in a normal situation than in an abnormal one. That there are racist situations is also an abnormal situation that can alter the functioning and the way footballers play, and this, added to the physical strength of some black players, can lead to more sanctions,” he says.
According to Edjogo-Owono, the atmosphere in football fields has become even worse after the pandemic. “There is a determining emotional factor. People, after covid, are more irascible because everything is more expensive; there is no clear future in the medium and long term, and this uncertainty, insecurity and tension can come out in the form of insult “, he says. Football fields continue to be, because they always have been, a place where the B side of society is shown. “I think that the cases are decreasing, but it is not enough, they must be completely eradicated, if there really is a will to do it,” says Alberto.
