The brochure ‘Football for Diversity‘, available in German, aims to provide information and contacts related to the subject of homophobic discrimination, while giving definitions that may assist the education process to advance the social inclusivity of football.
The guide is the first publication the ÖFB has produced on the topic, which will now join the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB) in taking a strong stand against discrimination towards LGBT people across football and making the sport welcoming for all.
“The Austrian Football Association is the largest specialist sports association in the country and all its members are role models with the capacity to support processes of social change. It is important to promote a climate of respect, compassion, tolerance and integration in all areas of our society”, said ÖFB president Leo Windtner.
“For many years, the Austrian Football Bundesliga stands up for respect and humanity. In football, there is no place for discrimination in form of insult, disadvantage or exclusion – irrespective of ethnic and social origin, gender, disability, religion, age or sexual identity. This brochure provides information, definitions and contact addresses about the topic homosexuality and homophobia in football and aims to dismantle connected threats and prejudices”, said Hans Rinner, president of the Austrian Football Bundesliga.
“We are happy that – with this publication – the core actors of football in Austria set a clear statement against homophobia; for the first time, in public and collectively. This is an important step for making football a place where equality and acceptance is being highlighted”, said Nikola Staritz from the initiative FairPlay. Different Colors. One Game at the VIDC.
The initiative is being backed by Austria’s national team players including Christian Fuchs (FC Schalke 04) and Markus Suttner (FK Austria Wien), the women’s national team captain Viktoria Schnaderbeck (FC Bayern München), Austrian referee Harald Lechner and Damir Canadi, coach of top-flight club SCR Altach.
The publication „Football for Diversity – information brochure for clubs, fans, players, coaches and managers for the prevention of homophobia“ can be ordered for free at the ÖFB (office[at]oefb.at) and FairPlay-VIDC (fairplay[at]vidc.org).
Since 2014, VIDC is member of MenEngage, a global network on the engagement of men and boys for gender justice. As a first cooperation between FairPlay-VIDC and MenEngage, our information brochure “Fußball für Vielfalt” [“Football for Diversity”] on the prevention of homophobia within football structures gets promoted within the MenEngage Network which – after its founding year 2006 – meanwhile counts more than 600 organisations globally.