Football for Equality

The Europeanwide action weeks of the FARE network that was founded in Vienna are uniting clubs, supporters, associations, NGOs and ethnic minorities in 50 countries. About 300 initiatives are taking part this season. In Austria all clubs of the national men’s and women’s football leagues as the Austrian FA (ÖFB) and its regional associations are involved.

ÖFB action day on 31 October: Show racism the red card!
The ÖFB makes a strong sign for diversity and respect in football at the World Cup qualifier of its women national team against France in Ritzing (Burgenland). At the action day that is organised in cooperation with the FARE member organisation FairPlay. Different Colours. One Game. the female players will show racism the red card and will emphasize their attitude with statements against discrimination. Before kick-off the team captains will call for commitment against exclusion, homophobia and sexism. This message will be visible in the stadium by the display of banners, the distribution of information materials and the ball boys and girls wearing t-shirts with anti-discrimination slogans. Viktoria Schnaderbeck from Austria and Wendie Renard from France will wear the new UEFA “Respect – No to racism” captains armbands.

“Football unites daily millions of people of different origin and lets differences disappear“, Austrian international Veli Kavlak from Besiktas Istanbul says. “We all have to use this potential to fight together against stereotypes. Because in football there is no place for discrimination!”

Women Bundesliga on board for the first time
For the first time the ÖFB women national football league participates in the FARE Action Weeks with anti-discrimination activities on match day 9 on 3 November. Prejudices against women and women football are on the daily agenda. Stereotyped gender images and sexist exclusion make it hard for girls and women to participate actively in football – on the pitch as in the stands and boards.

“For Austrian women football it is most important for me to dismantle stereotypes and to increase its recognition steadily“, says Isabel Hochstöger, the women’s football officer at the ÖFB. FairPlay contributes to this aim as at all matches on Sunday the motto will be: “No place for discrimination!”

No place for discrimination!
This was also the motto of the stadium action days of the clubs of the two divisions in the Austrian Bundesliga on the weekend from 18 to 20 October. All clubs and their male and female players show through this joint campaign with the initiative FairPlay that exclusion and prejudices have no place in football – neither on the pitch nor on the stands nor in the boards of the clubs. Football is for everyone, independent from ones origin, skin colour or sexual orientation!

The FARE Action Weeks in Austria are co-ordinated by FairPlay. Different Colours. One Game. at the VIDC and are supported by the Austrian Ministry for Sport, the Austrian FA (ÖFB), the Austrian Bundesliga, the City of Vienna, the FARE network and UEFA.

The new FairPlay campaign poster can be downloaded here or can be ordered for free under fairplay(at)vidc.org.