A Festival of Ideas: Football, Social Change and Equality

It is said that football can be a means of improving relations between states that have been at war, it can heal sectarianism and bring people together.

We look at the history of the Balkans as an example of change. Nationalism is a powerful force in the region, the passion for football is fierce and communal hate in football is commonplace. Can we move beyond historical challenges and the collective memory of people in the region to make football a more accessible and tolerant environment?

Speakers:

• Ema Alagic

  Former Board Member, FK Sarajevo

• Ivan Djordjevic

  Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SASA)

• Alex Holiga

  Football Writer, Zagreb

• Dario Brentin

  Centre for South-East European Studies, Graz (Moderator)

  Monday 19th October 2020

  The Future of Women’s Football

  18.00 BST / 19.00 CET

  

  ‘What is the future of women’s football?’ A question frequently asked to cast sly doubt and undermine. Yet with interest sky high and professional women’s football growing perhaps we should be asking ‘Who is the future of women’s football?’ and examine who has access to the benefits of recent growth?

  Join us as we examine the pathways, and some of the barriers, facing women and girls pursuing a career as footballers. From the US pay-to-play system, to hijabis facing policing of their clothing, we hear from players and decision makers on how to ensure all girls and women are able to benefit from the continued growth of their sport.

  Speakers:

  • Sarai Bareman

    Chief Women’s Football Officer, FIFA

  • Tziarra King

    Striker, Utah Royals FC, NWSL

  • Jean Sseninde

    Footballer, founder of Sseninde Foundation, CAF’s Women’s Football Committee member

  • Haifa Tlili

    Sociologist, Free University of Brussels

    Monday 19th October 2020

    Racism and Futebol in Brazil
    O racismo no esporte e na sociedade brasileira

    18.00 EST / 19.00 Brasília Time (BRT)/ 23.00 BST

    

    Mais de 56% da população brasileira é negra ou mestiça, mais de 100 milhões de pessoas. E os negros são ícones e principal força motriz do futebol nacional.

    Mas o debate sobre a importância dos negros e o racismo no futebol começaram apenas recentemente a fazer parte do discurso público no país.

    Em parceria com o Observatório da Discriminação Racial no Futebol, nós vamos promover um debate para celebrar tudo o que os negros brasileiros trouxeram para o futebol e examinar a sua representatividade, os estereótipos criados e a igualdade no futebol brasileiro.

    Segunda-feira, 19 de Outubro
    18h (EUA) /19h, horário de Brasília /23h (ING)
    Palestrantes convidados, a confirmar.

    Over 56% of Brazil’s population is Black or mixed-race, upwards of 100 million people. And Black Brazilians are the icons and driving force of futebol.

    But debate on the importance of race and racism in futebol has only recently begun to be part of the public discourse.

    In conjunction with Observatório Racismo we host a discussion to celebrate everything that Black Brazilians have brought to futebol and examine representation, stereotypes and equality within the Brazilian game.

    This session will be in Portuguese.

    Speakers:

    • Aranha (Mário Lúcio Duarte Costa)

      Ex-goleiro de grandes clubes brasileiros como Santos FC, SE Pameiras, Atlético Mineiro, Ponte Preta e outros. Atualmente é colunista do Portal UOL.

    • Grafite (Edinaldo Batista Libânio)

      Ex-jogador, jogou em clubes no Brasil e no exterior como Santa Cruz, Grêmio, São Paulo, Le Mans, Wolfsburg. Eleito o melhor jogador da Bundesliga 2008/2009. Atualmente é comentarista de futebol a Rede Globo.

    • Marcelo Carvalho

      Idealizador e Diretor do Observatório da Discriminação Racial no Futebol.

    • Luix Teixeira (Mediador)

      Repórter e apresentador na rádio BandNews.

      Tuesday 20th October 2020

      Where Are The Black Coaches In Football?

      15.00 BST / 16.00 CET

      

      “There’s something like 500 players in the Premier League and a third of them are black and we have no representation of us in the hierarchy, no representation of us in the coaching staffs. There are not a lot of faces that we can relate to and have conversations with.” – Raheem Sterling

      Raheem Sterling directed his words at football authorities in a call for change. It is an issue that most black players feel is reflective of the way the game views them.

      Research from Fare shows this is a global issue affecting football across Europe, Latin America and the USA. Players with celebrated careers and long qualifications are not being appointed as coaches, managers or in high level technical jobs within football.

      This panel will explore the barriers that prevent minorities from reaching the top in coaching and management jobs. What are the solutions to redress the balance of power across football?

      Speakers:

      • Dr Jacco van Sterkenburg

        Erasmus University, Netherlands

      • Michael Johnson

        England U21 Coach, Former Birmingham City Defender

      • Humberto Tan

        TV Presenter, Chair of Dutch FA, Mijnals Committee

      • Mbo Mpenza

        Former Belgian International

      • Mimi Fawaz

        BBC Sport (Moderator)

        Tuesday 20th October 2020

        A New Era of Athlete Activism: How Athletes Are Changing Sport

        12.00 EST / 17.00 BST / 18.00 CET

        

        “I feel like it’s not only my responsibility, but all our responsibilities as people that are in positions of privilege, in positions of power, to continue to fight, uplift and empower.” – Colin Kaepernick.

        It has been a year like no other in modern sport. Across the US, athletes have put themselves at the heart of the Black Lives Matter movement by using their platforms and showing themselves to be leaders of social change. Matches have been cancelled across US sports as the fight against social injustice has taken centre ground. We have not seen a movement that places sport alongside the call for social change like this since Muhammad Ali and the Mexico Olympics.

        Panellists will share their experiences as athletes and observers in the US and the impact sport can have in creating social change and human rights.

        ---

        Michael Sam is a former a defensive end in the NFL. Sam played college football for the Missouri Tigers and was drafted the NFL by the St. Louis Rams in the the 2014 draft. He also played one season for the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League (CFL).

        After completing his college football career, Sam publicly came out as gay. He became the first publicly gay player to be drafted in the NFL.

        Renee Montgomery is the starting point guard for the Atlanta Dream in the NWBA. She has been playing basketball since she was 10 years old and is now an NWBA veteran with a startling list of career achievements.

        In June Renee announced that she would sit out the remaining 2020 WNBA season to fight systemic racism and social injustice. “All it takes is a single moment. A single choice to create momentum” she wrote announcing her decision.

         

        Speakers:

        • Renee Montgomery

          WNBA

        • Michael Sam

          Former NFL

        • Michelle Moore

          Leadership consultant, former athlete (Moderator)

          Tuesday 20th October 2020

          #NiUnaMenos in Latin America – Fútbol Feminista

          17.00 Bogotá & CDMX / 18.00 EST / 19.00 Brasília Time (BRT)

          

          Hace cinco anos, una manifestación tuvo lugar en las calles de Argentina contra la violencia machista hacia las mujeres, niñas y por los estereotipos de género. #NiUnaMenos empezó como un hashtag y se convirtió rápidamente en un movimiento colectivo transnacional sin precedentes contra la violencia y por la igualdad de género.

          Un panel de expertas de Latinoamérica analiza en cuales maneras el fútbol latinoamericano desempeñó un papel en la lucha feminista y dio un paso adelante para justicia social y contra la desigualdad.

          ¿El fútbol perpetúa los estereotipos de género en la región o ayuda a romperlos para un cambio positivo?

          El idioma de la sesión es español.

          Martes 20 de octubre

          Five years ago, Argentinians took to the streets to protest against the levels of violence and discrimination towards women and girls. What began as a protest and a hashtag, #NiUnaMenos grew into a collective movement against gender-based violence and for gender equality, sweeping across the country and across Latin America.

          A panel of experts from across Latin America will look at how far football across the region stepped up to respond to these social justice movements and address inequality.

          Does football perpetuate gender stereotypes in the region or act as an arena for change?

          This session will be in Spanish.

          Speakers:

          • Melissa Ortiz

            Former Colombia international, Broadcaster

          • Aline Pellegrino

            Former Brazil international, Head of Women’s Football Competitions Brazilian Football Confederation

          • Andrea Rodebaugh

            Former Mexico international, Club Tijuana manager

          • Dr Brenda Elsey

            Fare network (Moderator)

             

            Wednesday 21st October 2020

            Gendered violence in Sport: What is it and how do we tackle it?

            15.00 BST / 16.00 CET

            

            Speakers to be announced.

            The recent growth of women’s football and other sports has highlighted what many have long known – the power football has to address exclusion and empower women. There has been a focus on increasing opportunities for women and girls to play.

            Yet solely focusing on women does not fix the gender issues entrenched within sport. News of sexual abuse and violence committed against women and girls across sport continues to make headlines and the behaviour of top-level male athletes and administrators are seen as being beyond reproach.

            This session will examine what needs to change within an environment which allows sexism, and the structures of sport that fail to act on it to ensure safety for women as players, coaches and fans.

For a long time there was a specific mould of sports journalist. From who you are, how you should look, to how you should intonate your voice, and what you should observe, there was little space for variation.

Recent years have seen the emergence of more women, ethnic minorities and LGBTIQ+ people into sports media, sometimes in the mainstream, but often on new platforms and through social media.

We explore how some journalists are breaking the mould by maintaining their authentic voice and actively changing the narrative and ask what more needs to be done to get voices like theirs heard.

Speakers:

• Shireen Ahmed

  Activist, writer, broadcaster

• Jon Holmes

  Sky Sports, Founder Sports Media LGBT+

• Musa Okwonga

  Writer, broadcaster

• Marion Reimers

  Fox Sports Mexico

  Thursday 22nd October 2020

  More action needed. Sexism in German football

  15.00 BST / 16.00 CET

  

  In Germany, Austria and across the German-speaking football world supporters are passionate, alternative and mostly have a progressive vision for football unmatched across Europe.

  So why is sexism so prevalent and why do very few people talk about it? Our panel of fans, campaigners and administrators will explore what has been happening and what needs to change to create an inclusive environment.

  Speakers:

  • Mara Pfeiffer

    Journalist

  • Claudia Krobitzsch

    Diversity Manager, German FA

  • Nicole Selmer

    Deputy Editor-in-Chief ballesterer football magazine

  • Vienna Institute for International Dialogue and Cooperation

    (VIDC)

    Felix Tamsut

    Writer, DW Sports (Moderator)

    Thursday 22nd October 2020

    Black and Gay: At the intersection of race and LGBTIQ+ issues

    13.00 ET / 18.00 BST / 19.00 CET

    

    The dual discrimination faced by ethnic minority LGBTIQ+ people is an area often ignored within sport. From prohibitive grassroots set-ups to reaching coaching and leadership roles, LGBTIQ+ people and ethnic minorities continue to face barriers in accessing sport. In 2019, the NFL defensive end Ryan Russell challenged this ‘norm’ when he publicly shared that he is bisexual.

    What can sporting authorities do to better support minority athletes and tackle discrimination? How can the LGBTIQ+ sports community be more inclusive of ethnic minorities and vice versa? Can we ensure sport is a space where everyone is welcome and no one is forced to hide or choose between identities? Join the conversation with Ryan as we learn from his experience in the NFL.

    Ryan Russell is a professional football player in the NFL, a published poet, writer, and artist. Currently a NFL free agent, Ryan was drafted in 2015 to the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round. He saw a large part of his success in Tampa Bay with the Buccaneers. In August 2019, Russell came out as bisexual and is currently the only male athlete in the four major American professional sports leagues – NFL, NBA, MLB & MLS – to openly identify as LGBTIQ+.

    Speakers:

    • Ryan Russell

      NFL defensive end

    • Lou Englefield

      Football v Homophobia (Moderator)

      Thursday 22nd October 2020

      Glass Ceilings: Black and Latinx communities and Women in US Soccer

      18.00 EST / 19.00 Brasília Time (BRT) / 23.00 BST

      

      On the surface, soccer in the US is a phenomenon. The Women’s National Team is the best in the world. The MLS has one of the world’s most diverse player pools – up to 60% are Black or Latinx. But, beyond the surface, the picture looks different: the numbers of minorities and women in leadership positions are pitifully low, head coaches and front offices are mostly white, as are owners. At the grassroots the ‘play to play’ model restricts access to the middle classes.

      Against this backdrop, the USA is gearing up to host the Men’s FIFA World Cup in six years’ time; it will be the biggest sports event that the world’s biggest sports market has hosted in a long time.

      A panel of players and campaigners examine the urgent changes needed to break glass ceilings and ensure women and minorities have equal representation among decision makers.

      Speakers:

      • Crystal Dunn

        Winger, United States Women’s National Team

      • Dr Brenda Elsey

        Fare

      • Justin Morrow

        Defender, Toronto FC, Black Players for Change

      • Evan Whitfield

        Former Chicago Fire Player, Soccer Collective on Racial Equity (SCORE)

        Grant Wahl

        Broadcaster and Journalist (Moderator)

        Friday 23rd October 2020

        Refugees and Football

        15.00 BST / 16.00 CET

        

        A climate crisis, inequality within nations, political populism and the struggle for resources are reinforcing the age-old cycle of poverty, war and forced migration.

        What role can football, as the world’s most popular sport, play in supporting refugees and changing attitudes towards new migrants? Who does this responsibility fall to and what do interventions in this field look like in reality?

        We examine sport’s contribution to empowering refugee communities and seek to understand how football can be used as a tool to impact public policy and opinion within host countries.

        Speakers:

        • Laura Sentís

          Barça Foundation (Foundation of FC Barcelona)

        • Rozma Ghafour

          Refugee football coach

        • Nick Sore

          UN Refugee Agency

        • Natalie Gedra

          ESPN Brazil (Moderator)