By Tito Drago
MADRID, Feb 22 2005 (IPS)

The Spanish government, professional associations and civil society organisations resolved on Tuesday to join forces to fight racism in football, in view of the harm it causes and the way it reflects on society.

Spanish Sports Minister Jaime Lissavetzky chaired a two-hour-plus meeting attended by the general director of Domestic Policy, Rosario García; the president of the National Anti-Violence Commission, Javier Durán; and the head of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Angel María Villar.

Also present were the president of the Spanish Football Players Association, Gerardo González Movilla; the head of the Professional Football League, José Luis Astiazarán: and the general director of sports at the Ministry of Education, Rafael Blanco.

The Spanish government undertook this initiative in response to the increase in racist and xenophobic acts in Spanish football stadiums, on the part of spectators, coaches and players alike.

The incident that sparked the greatest uproar, particularly in the media, took place during a Spanish national team training session several weeks before a Nov. 17 friendly against England in Madrid.

In a supposed attempt to motivate forward José Antonio Reyes, Spanish coach Luis Aragonés yelled at him that he was better than "that black piece of shit," clearly referring to French footballer Thierry Henry, Reyes’ Arsenal team-mate.

The racist slur provoked a flurry of condemnation, including a statement from UK Prime Minister Tony Blair himself.

The RFEF president tried to downplay the controversy, saying that Aragones’ words had been taken out of context.

Days later, an International Olympic Committee delegation visited Madrid on a tour of cities that are vying to host the 2012 summer games. London and Paris are among the other contenders.

According to subsequent reports in the local and international press, the delegation members made it clear that the racist climate created by individuals like Aragonés and to an even greater degree by the Spanish public would weigh negatively against Madrid when it came time to choose a host city.

One of the players most frequently subjected to racist abuse is Barcelona forward Samuel Eto’o of Cameroon, with spectators grunting like monkeys whenever he or another African footballer takes control of the ball.

Eto’o, currently the Spanish league’s leading goal scorer, decided to strike back with a campaign against racism, which he launched last week during a game against Zaragoza. After scoring a goal, he headed directly to the section of stands where fans of the rival team were grunting like monkeys, and celebrated his accomplishment by jumping up and down like an ape in front of them.

After the game, he said that all of society should unite to end racism, which constitutes a violation of human rights.

The president of the Barcelona club, Joan Laporta, backed up Eto’o’s call, noting that there are players of all races, religions and ideologies in football and that the sport should serve to bring people together.

Laporta added that there are a minority of football fans "who are a source of shame," and that measures should be adopted "to eradicate this kind of behaviour, because of the danger that it could come to be accepted."

On Tuesday, at the end of the meeting he chaired, Lissavetzky announced that all of the participants had unanimously agreed to take immediate measures, and that there would soon be a special protocol addressing the issue.

"Football should be a source of integration and contribute to solving the problems of racism and xenophobia, which have emerged as a consequence of the changes in Spanish society brought about by immigration," the sports minister said in a press conference.

"To confront this serious problem, it is crucial to have the cooperation of everyone involved in football, and especially the support of the fans, in order to single out, identify and expel from the stadiums the minority who use this sport to express their racist attitudes," he said.

All of the meeting’s participants, he added, recognised that the problem of racism and xenophobia is genuine, and stated their "express will to take direct action through preventive efforts."

Lissavetzky said that penalties for racist conduct would be stepped up at all levels, and further reported that they would be calling on "all of the team presidents, coaches, trainers, referees and everyone involved in football to gather here to sign a protocol against racism and xenophobia."

The minister also referred to the current situation at the amateur football level, noting the lack of integration and the fact that immigrants are forced to play in what he called "sports ghettoes".

Lissavetzky, a member of the governing Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), noted that the culture of racial integration was late in coming to Spain, but said he was confident that concrete and rapid action could resolve this problem.

"Spain is not a racist country, although there are outbreaks of racism, like everywhere else. Here at least we don’t have political parties that promote racism, like they have in other countries," he maintained.

In the meantime, the non-governmental Spanish Coalition Against Racism in Football (CECRA) set up a hotline so that fans from anywhere in Spain can call in and report racist incidents.

The Coalition regularly sends observers to football stadiums. A total of 28 attended the November friendly between Spain and England following coach Aragones’ racist outburst, and witnessed banners with xenophobic messages and outlawed symbols held aloft by fans shouting racist chants.

For his part, the president of the International Football Federation (FIFA), Joseph Blatter, has announced that he will be designating a group of world football stars to serve as anti-racism ambassadors in March. He has already reported that the head of this group will be none other than Thierry Henry, the victim of the Spanish national team coach’s racist insult.

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