Roma road to integration

By Kadira Malkoc

"Racism is a deep social and political phenomenon," said UEFA director of communications William Gaillard at April's Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) network conference in Bratislava. "It's our duty as the governing football body in Europe to raise awareness among our member federations that this is not a problem that will just go away."

Social exclusion
The Roma people - who migrated to Europe from north-west India over 1,000 years ago - have long been victims of ill-treatment, rejection, social exclusion and racism, especially in the areas where their numbers are highest: Romania, Hungary, the Balkans, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Shocking example
The extent of the problems they face in Slovakia were hammered home to FARE conference delegates when some of them were refused admission to a Bratislava bar because there were Roma people with them. When it comes to football, the situation remains every bit as difficult.

Wall of silence
Many Roma are involved in European football as players, coaches and club officials, but - because of the stigma attached to their backgrounds - several prominent representatives of the Roma football community contacted by uefa.com declined to talk openly about their problems, or even admit their origins.

Racial stigma
"There is such a strong social stigma for them that it is impossible to address the issue," explained Nicolae Valeriu from the European Roma Information Office in Brussels. "It is even more difficult if they have hopes of advancing in their careers and coach some of the big clubs in their countries."

Talented players
Players of Roma origin are rarely, if ever, seen in the top divisions. Lower down the tables there are more Roma players, many of whom are very talented, but top-flight clubs are reluctant to spend money on players of Roma origin.

Social exclusion
Carlos Ferreira Nunez from the Spanish coalition against racism said: "With racism and racial discrimination, Roma and other minorities in Europe are effectively prevented from participating in a very important part of normal human life - sport. Black people or Roma are seldom seen as supporters at football matches. This is a very significant factor as to why we actually have racism today in European stadiums."

Romania acts
Football associations are slowly starting to realise the importance of addressing such problems. The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) recently ordered FC Steaua Bucuresti and AFC Rapid Bucuresti to play behind closed doors after racist chanting marred their 13 April meeting.

Pioneering punishment
Both sets of supporters were implicated in the chanting, prompting the FRF to take a stand. "It is the first decision taken in Romania on the grounds of racism and obscenity, but it's time to act hard and to try to avoid similar behaviour in the future," said an FRF statement.

Hungarian efforts
Meanwhile, the Hungarian Football Association has set up a Roma Committee whose primary task is to identify and fight racial discrimination. Efforts have also been made at local level to form teams which feature plenty of players from minority backgrounds but welcome others provided they are racially tolerant.

Tiny steps
These are small steps, but it is a significant start. The first step toward smashing racism in European football is acknowledging that there is a problem. The Roma's slow progress towards integration into the footballing world has begun. Things can only get better.