Singing songs of murdering Irishmen
In February 2005, in the midst of the wristband fad, Thierry Henry and Nike announced that they'd be taking on the problem of racism in football by launching the Stand Up Speak Up campaign. They were asking us to buy an interlocking piece of black and white plastic. There was a flush of excitement as wristband collectors scuttled to be part of the first wave of owners. They did a brisk trade coating Nike in an anti-racist glow and raising money for charity. First they cured cancer with Lance Armstrong, now they were tending the ills of racism with Thierry. Good ol' Nike. Not much else happened.
Fourteen months later, Fifa have been busy. They've decided they're serious about racism. A recent announcement which has immediate effect means that a team or fans reported by a referee to have violated new regulations will automatically be deducted three points. A second offence will mean a six-point deduction and a third offence means relegation. This could be a sensation in the making – if they follow through with it.
"FIFA has always taken its role in combating discrimination of any kind very seriously. Despite this fact, there has been a surge in discriminating gestures and language at football matches in recent months, " said FIFA. Article 55 of the FIFA disciplinary code now stipulates a suspension of five matches at every level of football, as well as a stadium ban and a minimum fine of 20,000 Swiss francs for any act or expression of a discriminatory and/or contemptuous nature. Furthermore, an association or club will be fined 30,000 francs if any of its supporters display discriminatory banners or behave in a discriminatory or contemptuous manner during a game. If there are no points on offer then the team will be chucked out of whatever competition they're in.
Are FIFA right to believe they can change the world through such draconian methods? And what exactly is a "discriminatory" or "contemptuous" expression? The Italian FA fined Paolo di Canio a pocketful of change for giving the straight-armed fascist salute. Twice. In Spain they've fined clubs an hour's takings at the megastore for welcoming Samuel Eto'o of Barcelona to their stadium with monkey chants and bananas. At European level, UEFA has said that Rangers fans can sing about Fenian blood because it's a social problem endemic in Scotland.
The Rangers issue is suitably complex to offer a case study of why FIFA's new rules may fail. The club's fans were heard on television singing 'We Are the Billy Boys' with the line "up to our knees in fenian blood" particularly audibly seven or eight times. The man in charge of investigating this for UEFA is an Austrian called Gerhard Kapl, who is now appealing UEFA's decision to clear Rangers to, ahem, UEFA. Gerhard Kapl maintains that the use of the word fenian is "as a derogatory reference to people of an Irish Catholic descent". UEFA are scared though.
It's likely that under the new FIFA rules Rangers would be in trouble. Luckily for them they're being tried under old regulations. But the time is coming when it won't be ok to sing songs of murdering Irishmen and chalk it up to local culture, when casual racism or homophobia or bigotry brings punishment, when Di Canio will suffer for his racism. That we're looking to Sepp Blatter and FIFA for moral leadership reflects very badly on us. Of course, the campaign could be as effective as Nike's and nothing might happen, but the existence of a framework for punishment means that someone might get nailed.