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Top sportsmen and women are used to promote anything! They are market machines that produce enormous profits because of their popularity worldwide. Their image sells. It is ridiculous to conclude that they are just followers of fashion without considering their relationship with fashion designers and the determined effect these idols have on the sector with the highest spending power.
After all, the familiar faces of sport are used in TV slots ranging from pots and pans, to cars, furniture, kitchens, make-up, juices, underwear, jewellery and anything else under heaven. They are celebrities who are exceedingly useful to the commercial fraternity because fans try to copy their idols much to the delight of those tycoons who use everyone and anything to increase sales.
Gifted stars have impressive image rights, while the really top ones are backed by their agencies which deal with their own creations and products. Sports people are also known to be business promoters.
An exception
But there is no element of business or profit on a product which should hit the European markets within the next few days. It is only meant as an exhibition of solidarity with performers who have been unfortunate victims simply because of their colour or race. No one deserves to be discriminated against because of prejudice, but only fools and horses will ignore the fact that racism is still rampant in sport, and especially during football matches. Nike’s accessory is meant to create an awareness of the current dangers. Sport should be free from all sorts of discrimination. The efforts made to eradicate all sorts of racial and xenophobic abuse, are to be supported in a clear and concrete manner.
Black and white wristbands
Hopefully soon millions of people all over the world will be wearing a white and black wristband, which has nothing to do with a particular brand of whiskey or football team colours like those worn by Juventus or Udinese of Italy, Newcastle United of England, Dunfermline of Scotland, Partizan of Belgrade,PAOK of Greece, Lokomotiv Provdiv of Bulgaria, RSC Charleroi of Belgium, Highlanders of Zimbabwe, Knattspyrnufelaq Reykjavikur of Iceland and the oldest of them all Notts County of England! Everyone is encouraged to buy and wear the meaningful wristband.
It is a sign to condemn racism in football and to raise hopes for harmony. Racists are found everywhere and not solely on the stands. History tells us that intolerance because of colour or creed was the cause of many wars, bloodshed and tears. Several nasty episodes are being repeated today in various countries and continents, as Martin Luther’s unmemorable dream has not yet been totally realised.
It’s a shame!
Sport is the international language which unites countries and to-day’s multicultural societies and communities. On the contrary racism is a scary cancer exceedingly damaging and dangerous which goes against the real values of sport.
Racism and sport form a brutal mixture
Last week Inter’s Brazilian international striker Adriano and Italy’s captain Fabio Cannavaro of Juventus wore the wristband which was introduced on the initiative of the French ace Thierry Henry of Arsenal in collaboration with Nike, in a crusade against racism in sport, particularly football. Henry has been a boo-boo target in places like Greece when the Gunners met Panathiniakos, and was even degraded by Luis Aragones of Spain during a training session prior to the match with England.
Monkey chants and bananas
“Stand Up, Speak up” is a follow-up of the effective campaign “Kick Racism out of Football” that characterised the English football scene during the nineties. At the time moronic monkey chants and the throwing of bananas on the field of play characterised football not only in England, but in other countries too! Black players and fans were intimidated. Despite FIFA’s sanctions, the scene is still prevalent in many stadia, and one recalls Turkey’s match in England and England’s most recent match with Spain. Obviously such an attitude must never be tolerated. We recall the ‘European Year against Racism’ in 1997. In the following years racism became less overt, but recent events show that the problem of xenophobia still exists.
Dutch example
On February 9, the Netherlands will meet England at Villa Park in Birmingham and for this friendly match, the Dutch will discard the usual Orange colours and don a new black and white strip, with black shorts and white stockings as a strong sign of anti-racism. As Marco Van Basten’s team face Sven Goran Ericsson’s selection, Henry will be in Paris as France entertains Sweden and it is anticipated that all the players on duty will be wearing the famous wristband the famous American cyclist Lance Armstrong wore after being cured of testicular cancer.
Sport has so often provided a pretext for outbreaks of intolerance and violence, sometimes racist or xenophobic in character. Sport should be regarded as a school for democracy and civic values, a factor in socialisation and integration.
The campaign that it being introduced yet again confirms that racism still exists and that everyone even us Maltese, can play a part against this unacceptable phenomena.
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