Football stands as the most popular sport worldwide. Known for its excitement, exhilaration, thrilling moments, and even controversy, it is followed by an estimated 4 billion fans globally. In the UK, the 2020/2021 English Premier League (EPL) season is well underway, and is widely regarded as the “best league in the world” with an established audience of 1.35 billion. These numbers are a testament to the immense amount of influence that the beautiful game possesses, influence that frequently permeates into wider society and politics.
Because of the EPL’s monumental reach, numerous companies do their utmost to gain advertising space at every stadium in the league, with billions of pounds of sponsorship revenue generated each year. In addition, the league tends to adopt various political and social campaigns it believes in. In doing so, they enable the campaigns to have greater exposure and get people discussing society’s wider issues. Although it is frowned upon at the individual level- with players or coaches getting fined for political statements– the inextricable link between football and politics means that institutional bodies such as the FA need to get involved with socio-political issues on occasion.
The most prominent example of this in 2020 has been the English Premier League opting to back Black Lives Matter (BLM) campaign. Every team would show solidarity by taking a knee at the beginning of each match. Initially, teams had the words “Black Lives Matter” printed on their jerseys, though that has now been removed as criticisms surfaced. The most public criticisms of English football’s BLM campaign came from Queens Park Rangers’ (QPR) director Les Ferdinand, and Middlesbrough FC’s Britt Assombalonga.
When QPR stopped taking the knee, they drew some initial criticisms from members of the public. In response, Les Ferdinand compared the gesture to a “fancy hashtag or a nice pin badge”. He then said that the gesture came across as some “nice PR”, but that it had run its course and people should think about actual plans in relation to tackling racial inequality going forward. At the time, the Premier League still opted to take the knee, yet the lower leagues had not mandated it. It was clear that English football was debating how to express their support for BLM. Some established sports personalities and pundits were in agreement with the cause, while others were against it and wished to distance themselves.
There are numerous instances where the football world has come together to help address political and social issues. In 2015, football fanbases around Europe came together in solidarity for displaced people during the refugee crisis. Arsenal pledged to give £1 from each ticket sold, the German Bundesliga’s Bayern Munich pledged €1 million in support, and Roma launched a global campaign called “Football Cares”. Football clubs have frequently taken a stand against injustice and stood up in support of great causes. In the UK, some teams have gone to great lengths to support refugees and asylum seekers. Huddersfield Town Supporters Trust raised funds for displaced people by organising a sponsored walk from Manchester to Hebden Bridge. Celtic FC raised funds by playing a charity match, the proceeds of which they donated to an international aid agency working to help those affected by the crisis. Further to this, “Refugees Welcome” banners have been sighted at football stadiums all over Europe- it is easy to understand how football fan activism yields hugely positive effects.
Other than football clubs, individual players have made moves to help society with their influence. Recently, Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford has been fighting against child food poverty in the UK. Over the summer, the government made a u-turn on food vouchers for students at school, and the Queen recognised Rashford for his efforts in fighting for such support. Players have the ability to use their status for good. Rashford is not the only famous footballer to get involved in social causes. Mo Salah donated funds to purchase land for a water treatment plant in his hometown of Nagrig in Egypt. Many other players donate funds to a wide variety of causes every single year.
While football is overwhelmingly seen as a platform for good, it can also provide a platform for some to sow division. When the Premier League began taking the knee for BLM, one Burnley fan chose to fly a “White Lives Matter” banner over the Etihad Stadium in response. There are distressing numbers of racial incidents at football grounds every year. These range from monkey chants, to banana throwing, to racially-charged epithets. In Italy, there was outrage over anti-racism posters that featured monkeys at the heart of their campaign.
Football is mostly a unifying sport. Regardless of background, people come together to support their teams. At the same time, clubs, players and fan groups are becoming increasingly involved in the community. They take on development projects and participate in charitable endeavours. Above all, football provides a means of togetherness and catharsis in a world becoming increasingly atomised by the day. It will continue to permeate into wider social issues ,and in doing so, may it continue as a force for good.
Athiei Ajuong is a writer for the Immigration Advice Service, a legal organisation that helps undocumented migrants to regulate their legal status.
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