NCJ Number
180885
Journal
International Journal of the Sociology of Law Volume: 27 Issue: 3 Dated: September 1999 Pages: 251-266
Date Published
1999
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article examines the range of measures adopted to combat racist behavior within and around football grounds, including the deployment of closed-circuit television and the increased use of private police.
Abstract
Recent trends in the policing of racism in football have coincided with and been reinforced by anti-racist campaigns by clubs, local authorities and fans. Many of these developments have been closely related to the need to deal with the more specific issue of far-right involvement in football hooliganism. This article criticizes the continuing assumption that racism and hooliganism within the sport are two dimensions of the same problem. The widespread use of police surveillance and the private security industry have important implications for attempts to combat racism in the game, and yet they are of limited use in and of themselves. The public should be suspicious of those football clubs that can only claim such developments as testimony to their anti-racist credentials. Other initiatives intended to rid football games of fan racist behaviors have also been outlined in this article, including the Football (Offenses) Act and the Public Order Act, which can be used in conjunction with ground regulations, so that those who engage in racist abuse are excluded from games. All of the issues discussed in this article are essentially reactive, in that they respond to racist abuse, harassment, or violence, but do little or nothing to challenge attitudes that cause them. Racism and racist behavior is not just a problem at football games. A more fundamental approach to challenging racism on social, political, and economic levels is preferable. An effective challenge to racism must recognize that it is not just the behavior of an extreme deviant minority in a particular context, but rather a subtle, contradictory, and pervasive problem that expresses itself in diverse ways in many contexts. 6 notes and 46 references