We Have a Serious Hate Problem

I am not revealing anything that most don't already know to be true. You don’t need me to tell you that hate is alive and well globally - and recent events only amplify this fact. We have all seen it. We have lived it. What I can tell you is that I am bound and determined to do something about it. We can not regulate and sanction this away.

I and Kinova Solutions have partnered with leading experts in this field on an innovative approach to eradicating hate in Football and are hellbent on moving the needle here. Something that has yet to be achieved in any real manner. We're engaged with many leading football organizations to ensure we have real and tangible action to combat a real and ever-growing problem.

We recognize that various confirmation biases and subtypes exist. This is vitally important during this 'unlearning' process to combat hate - any approach that doesn’t recognize this won’t work. In a perfectly rational world, people who encounter evidence that challenges their hateful beliefs would first evaluate this evidence, and then adjust their beliefs accordingly. However, we know that in reality this is seldom the case.

It should come as no surprise that Football - lets face it, sport in general - has a hate problem too. To illustrate this I could use any number of examples but will use the one most football fans are likely aware of.

The photo above was taken from the 1-1 draw between Real Madrid and Sevilla last weekend - where Vinicius Jr was again the victim of abhorrent racial abuse. One of the fans was immediately ejected from the venue and Sevilla have confirmed they have banned him for life.

Sevilla should be applauded for it's actions and stance. It is important to also recognize that several global, regional and local sport organizations have made significant contributions to identifying and sanctioning those responsible for hate speech. But with all due respect, it’s like watching a game of ‘whack a mole’. To reiterate, we can not regulate and sanction this away.

As if the in-stadium abuse wasn't enough, the deputy spokesperson for FC Barcelona's Board of Directors, in a now deleted tweet, had extraordinary views about Vinicius Jr. He posted the following after Real Madrid's 2-1 victory over Braga in the UEFA Champions League yesterday...

"It's not racism, he deserves a slap for being a clown. What do these unnecessary and meaningless stepovers represent in the center of the field?"

By the way, Madrid just happen to be playing Barcelona this weekend in Barcelona.

In addition, at a press conference, Liverpool's manager Jurgen Klopp was asked a ludicrous question about Vinicius Jr. Klopp was asked, and I am paraphrasing, since he has faced Madrid three times, if he has ever witnessed provocative behaviour from the Brazilian that would cause these racial abuses. Ramón álvarez de Mon shared the video via twitter - link below.

https://x.com/Ramon_AlvarezMM/status/1627697242202071042?s=20

But perhaps the incident that speaks loudest in all of this is the video from the Sevilla match - shared by journalist Virtudes Sánchez on Twitter (link below) showing a child in the crowd making monkey gestures. Ms. Sánchez says in her tweet...

Aquí se ven bien los gestos racistas hacia Vinícius en el Sánchez Pizjuán. Y aquí hay ni?os... Estamos permitiendo que la sociedad espa?ola sea reconocida mundialmente como una sociedad racista. Y esto solo se arregla de una forma: con sanciones y con educación. ?Hasta cuándo?

https://x.com/VirtudesSanchez/status/1715835966852595714?s=20

…and she is 100% correct. Our sport (and the communities in which they are being played) are being recognized as racist...and yes, sanctioning AND education is vitally important. This is not a Spanish problem, this is a global problem.

Hate is learned. It's learned through misguided and prejudiced attitudes and beliefs from societal forces: families, teachers, friends, the media, etc.…

Hate is not a new phenomenon. It’s been around forever. It's stoked and fed by fear, insecurity, mistrust, etc. Of late, the exponential rise of online hate speech is of great concern. Too often we’ve all been reminded by the fact that left unchecked and unchallenged, online hate leads to unimaginable violence. These aren’t ‘just words’ as some may say. The hateful rhetoric, more often than not, leads to real world violence on the ground - and even worse leads to mass shootings, lynchings, and ethic cleansing of those targets of hate.

By re-educating and challenging misguided assumptions and beliefs, hatred can be ‘Unlearned’.

And what better way to combat and push to eradicate hate than through sport? And what better sport than the global game.

Hate, in all of its forms, runs the risk of disenfranchising athletes, staff, and supporters and lead to the shrinking of those communities permanently while tarnishing the image of clubs, leagues, countries, and partners.

Sport can bolster an identity and a sense of belonging. Being a fan of a club or even a specific athlete creates a powerful sense of belonging and being part of something bigger than themselves. By using this influence, sport organizations have brought millions of people together and in some cases forged national identities. Flags, badges and jerseys are symbols of that belonging.

Change is coming. And Football and all sport will be the better (and safer) for it. And maybe, just maybe, we can affect the hatred that is far too prevalent globally.