Working to make sure football is beautiful game for everyone
Jo Stevens, MP for Cardiff Central, explains why she and colleagues are trying to outlaw those football fans who abuse people at grounds because of their sexual orientation or gender identity
Football is known as ‘the beautiful game’ and, as World Cup fever escalates and children trade stickers and fill their World Cup albums, the global audience grows and grows.
I’ve loved football all my life.
I love the skill, the drama, the emotional highs and lows and match day traditions.
I especially love the fact you can strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere in the world, about football, and you’ll have something in common, you’ll make a connection.
Even in a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh where, despite the language difficulties, I connected with young refugee children living in the most appalling circumstances through Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale!
However, there’s an ugly side to our beautiful game.
There’s a minority of so-called fans who make matches and grounds an unwelcoming place for people they perceive as different, whether that’s the colour of their skin, their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Our beautiful game is made ugly by the racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and other abuse that still exists on the terraces.
It’s why I’ve spent my life campaigning against all forms of discrimination, whether it’s in sport, in schools, in workplaces or on the streets.
So when you get a chance to make a difference, to make a change, you grab that opportunity.
Today is one such day. Together with my colleagues on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, we are publishing our Bill to amend the 1991 Football Offences Act.
Our Committee produced a report on homophobia in sport last year and today we will launch our Bill to change the 1991 Act, which makes racist abuse at football matches a specific, punishable offence, to add additional specific, punishable offences to combat homophobia, transphobia and any other abuse which is targeted at someone because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Our report last year was based on evidence from a range of sports, including football, athletics, basketball and rugby.
Football was the sport highlighted most frequently as having a problem with homophobia.
As the most popular spectator sport in the UK, we know there are no prominent openly gay footballers. Hardly surprising when homophobic chants at matches are commonplace and homophobic leaflets have even been distributed outside a ground at a Premier League match.
The abuse isn’t just targeted at particular players, but at fans, too.
Organisations like the Football Supporters’ Federation, who I campaign closely with in my role in the Parliamentary Football Supporters’ Group, have worked hard to promote and support the explosion of LGBTled supporter organisations in recent years.
Fans for Diversity, run by the Football Supporters’ Federation and Kick It Out, the anti-racism charity, was instrumental in the creation of Pride in Football, the umbrella network for LGBT fan groups. There are now 30-plus LGBT groups across the Premier League and Football League. We are all working to make our game safe and welcome to everyone.
I’m especially pleased that we’ll be joined for the launch of the Bill in Parliament today by Gareth Thomas, former Wales rugby captain and role model for LGBT+ sportspeople everywhere. ‘Alfie’ has been on a mission to get football authorities to take homophobic abuse seriously.
His landmark documentary Gareth Thomas vs Homophobia was a lesson in persistence.
And it won’t go unnoticed that we’re tabling this Bill in ‘Pride month.’ Pride Cymru will again take place in my constituency later in the summer. Pride celebrations are happening in towns and cities across the UK. British and global media is abuzz with LGBT+ stories. It’s more important than ever to stand up for every individual’s right to love and be who they are, whether that’s on or off the football field.
Our beautiful game is precious and I’m immensely proud to be working hard to make sure it stays beautiful, for everyone.
■ Jo Stevens is the Labour MP for Cardiff Central and a member of Parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sports Select Committee.