Blackpool player Jason Euell was racially bullied by a fan on the opposing team during a 2009 match. The fan was ejected from the stadium, but both Euell and then-manager Ian Holloway were furious, calling for the punter to be banned for life.
Canoville and Euell’s experiences are just two of many experiences of systemic racism in British football, and it’s a negative experience that the Premier League are keen to rectify. Following in the footsteps of other anti-racism sports initiatives such as Show Racism The Red Card and Kick It Out, the Premier League launched No Room For Racism in 2019, aiming to promote equality and tackle discrimination in the sport.
With the initiative, the Premier League seeks to make one thing clear: this is everyone’s game. As Premier League Champion Wes Morgan states, “anybody who doesn’t support diversity isn’t welcome in football.” The League officially launched an action plan in 2021 to help put their goals into practice. Through providing wellbeing support for players, tough sanctions for racist behaviour in-person or online, and running initiatives to help under-represented groups get into football, reported cases of racism have shrunk year-on-year since the plan was set in motion.
been over 3000 investigations into cases of online discriminatory abuse over the last four years proving that, while the No Room For Racism action plan is working
However, there have still been over 3000 investigations into cases of online discriminatory abuse over the last four years proving that, while the No Room For Racism action plan is working, there is still work to be done. 27 clubs are now involved in the Premiere League Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Standard (PLEDIS), and a third of participants in League-funded programmes are from diverse backgrounds. So, with any luck, the Premier League will continue to drive these numbers up and forge the path for the eradication of racism in British football.