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The Ligue 1 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille on Sunday ended in a scuffle between the two sides that resulted in five red cards. The fight was prompted by Marseille center back Alvaro allegedly directing a racist slur toward PSG star Neymar.
This story alone was enough to warrant significant media attention, but the comments made by French Football Federation (FFF) president Nöel Le Graët on Tuesday made the issue even more pertinent.
"When a black guy scores a goal, the whole stadium is on its feet," Le Graët said. "This phenomenon of racism in sport, and in football in particular, does not exist at all or barely exists."
Oh, racism isn't a problem in soccer? Maybe I should refresh his memory.
Racist Incidents In French Football
April 2019: European football struggles with racism as French team Amiens halts Ligue 1 game
Amiens captain Prince Gouano was subjected to monkey chants from Dijon fans.
February 2019: French league to join lawsuit against racist Mbappe graffiti
La @LFPfr condamne fermement le tag raciste, antisémite et homophobe visant @KMbappe.
Elle réaffirme sa détermination à lutter contre tout comportement raciste, antisémite ou discriminatoire.La LFP se joindra à la plainte déposée par la @_LICRA_ visant les auteurs de ce tag. pic.twitter.com/lXamTTn4JS
— Ligue de Football Professionnel (@LFPfr) February 14, 2019
May 2018: Racial Abuse, Then a Beating, on a French Soccer Field
Multiple African players representing amateur French side A.S. Benfeld were beaten by fans and opponents in a racially motivated incident.
These are publicized incidents that occurred in France alone within the last couple years, in the very footballing system Le Graët controls. Part of his job entails addressing and preventing these type of incidents, and by overlooking them, Le Graët is either a complete idiot or a flat-out liar.
I guess racism doesn't happen if you don't step outside of your privileged, white bubble and acknowledge it. This is the attitude that is far too prevalent in soccer today, and something that cannot be happening from an elected leader of such stature.
Unfortunately, these incidents likely represent just a fraction of the racist episodes in French football during this period, as evidenced by the LICRA study. A similar list could be made for every country in Europe, and little has been done to address it. By denying the fact that racism is a problem, the FFF president negates the seriousness of the issue and encourages this type of behavior to continue.
Nothing changes until we work to change it. And with such incompetent and ignorant people at the helm of key leadership positions throughout European soccer, they are simply another barrier obstructing racial equality.
So, Nöel Le Graët, wake up and smell des roses; stop being a racist bastard and address the racism that's happening in French soccer.
