FIFA Head of Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination says it is important to bridge the gap between football and criminal justice systems
Former Kenya women’s captain Terry Ouko tells the panel: “Victims need someone to listen”
Panel took place at the United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
FIFA representatives have told a prestigious United Nations congress on crime prevention that players must feel safe when they report racism and other abuse, and that co-operation from law enforcement agencies is a key part of stamping out discrimination in football. As part of the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, FIFA and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) jointly organised a panel to discuss legal and policy considerations for addressing racist and hate crimes in sports. The panel marked the latest step in a collaboration between the two sides formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2023. “Victims of racism show courage when they speak. They deserve institutions that show the same courage,” said Gerd Dembowski, Head of Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination at FIFA. “They must feel safe reporting abuse and receive clear information about what will happen next, as well as appropriate protection and support. That applies to a professional player in front of thousands of spectators just as it applies to a young footballer playing at grassroots level.”
Following the Global Stand Against Racism, taken by the 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, in May 2024, FIFA set up a Players’ Voice Panel (PVP) of former players to advise on which initiatives and actions should be taken. The PVP has been heavily supported in its work by the Centre for Sports and Human Rights (CSHR) as part of an agreement with FIFA. One of the main challenges the PVP has identified, according to Mr Dembowski, is to bridge the gap between football and the criminal justice system in different countries.
“When the Players’ Voice Panel and FIFA explored this work further, those institutions could seem distant from the day-to-day reality of football – and difficult for us to reach. There was no simple route from identifying racist abuse to ensuring that the right public authority, under the right legal framework, could act,” he said. “We want to shorten the distance between football and the criminal justice system. Through our cooperation with the UNODC, and with the contributions of players and experts, we have begun to build the bridge we set out to create.” He said that PVP’s recommendations should encourage lawmakers to:
give victims confidence that someone will listen;
ensure that police and prosecutors have the laws, training and resources they need to act; and
create an effective connection between football and the justice system, so that accountability can be pursued while the harm suffered by victims is properly recognised.
Terry Ouko, former captain of the Kenya women’s national team and part of the PVP secretariat working for FIFA, said that speaking up could feel very costly, especially for young African players. For example, when a player did not report an incident, it was important to ask what the consequences might have been. “What would reporting have cost the player? Their contract? Their selection? Their playing time? Their market value? Their visa? Their reputation? And sometimes, the livelihood of an entire family,” she said. “That is why victim-centred justice should understand the underlying realities surrounding the victim. When a player reports racist abuse, or abuse of any kind, they need more than a procedure. They need somebody to listen.”
Ouko said it was not possible to build an effective response to racism by designing it without the people who experience it. This was particularly important for women players, because discrimination can intersect with racism, sexism, nationality, migration status and economic vulnerability. “A victim-centred approach should see the whole person, not just the incident,” she said. “Let us build systems that do more than punish wrongdoing. Let us build systems that listen, protect, repair and prevent. Because behind every shirt is a human being. And that human being must never become invisible.”
She said this was why robust legal governance and criminal and restorative justice were important. “Therefore, finalising the FIFA-UNODC legal recommendations on how to engage governments to tackle racism and hate in and around football is fundamental,” she said. “And it will be even more important that you go home and turn them into lived legal practice.” The United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice is the world's largest and most diverse gathering of policy-makers, practitioners, academia, intergovernmental organisations and civil society in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice.