Liverpool have started their pre-season. The Reds after a poor last season will like to change things around in the upcoming season. They have a new manager in the house Arne Slot, who has replaced Jurgen Klopp. After the latter decided to leave the club. On Saturday, the club played against Eintracht Frankfurt. But the match was called off due to a racism incident on the field.
They played the Under 19s side in a young football event in Schwabish Hall, southern Germany. With the score 1-1, a Liverpool player reported being racially abused. They were adamant about hearing the racist term and so walked off. During the game, the English side was called ‘Digga’, common in youth slang. The Reds refused to continue the match and walked off. The referee eventually abandoned the game.
The score was instead recorded as a 3-0 victory for Frankfurt for tournament purposes. While Liverpool walked away after hearing the racist term. However, Frankfurt denied the allegations. In recent years racism has increased in the matches whether it is the opposition footballers or the fans as well. The abusive comments have been still coming despite the football association has become strict on the matter.
Racism has ‘no room’ in football
In the La Liga footballers often witness racist comments on and off the field. Vinicius Junior has been one of the main targets of racism in recent times. He has been abused a lot of times during the game and off-field on social media as well. How does racism affect the footballers? The abusive comments can harm a footballer’s mind. It can cause emotional distress, anxiety, and decreased self-esteem among affected players.
Their performances can also be hampered by racist comments. There will be a decline in their performance due to increased stress and distraction. FIFA should take action on and off the field about such instances. The footballers who pass racial comments should be banned from playing the game for a lifetime. Because imposing fines and bans for a certain period will not change their mindset of them.
