International weeks against racism

The “International Weeks against Racism” originate from a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly and commemorate the “Sharpeville Massacre”, in which the South African police shot 69 peaceful demonstrators in the township of Sharpeville on 21 March 1960.

Throughout Matchday 26 (31 March to 2 April) of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, the message “STOP RACISM” will be displayed on match balls, ball holders and substitution boards, among other things, in order to send out a clear message against racism on the part of clubs, the DFL Foundation, the DFL (German Football League) and the DFL’s partners. In addition, participating players will inform the public of their own initiatives or projects throughout the campaign period. The public advocacy for a society based on solidarity and diversity complements the year-round commitment of German professional football in the context of numerous anti-racism projects as well as educational and preventive work.

The campaign will focus on a depressing statistic from the inaugural study of the National Discrimination and Racism Monitor 2022 on racism in Germany, collected by the German Centre for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM): in Germany, 22% of the population have experienced racism at least once in their lives, i.e. around one in five people.

Ihlas Bebou spoke to TSG magazine SPIELFELD about the issue of racism. His unequivocal message: ”Racism has no place in our society.”