FIFA has been cracking down on musical instruments, certain types of beer and water bottles at the World Cup in Brazil, but they turn a blind eye to fans wearing blackface.
On Friday, June 20, three fans wore blackface in the Arena Fonte Nova stadium in Salvador to ridicule the Afro-Brazilian and Caribbean religion Candomblé. Just a day later, at least five more Germany fans wore blackface to mock the players on Ghana's team. Security let them through the gates both times, and photos and videos of their racist display went viral.
Racist taunts are common in European sporting events, where black players are routinely taunted with monkey chants and have bananas thrown at them. This rude behavior should not be tolerated at any sporting event, particularly not the World Cup which is viewed by millions of families around the world. Wearing blackface ruins the fun of the game for many viewers.
FIFA’s failure to crack down on racism is incompatible with its #SayNoToRacism campaign, invites people to take selfies holding signs with the hashtag, which it will feature on a large display at one of the games. FIFA needs to live up to its commitment and stop allowing fans to dress in blackface.
Please sign the petition to urge FIFA to crack down on blackface and all other overtly racist displays at the World Cup!
As you know, on Saturday, June 21, 2014, three fans wore blackface in the Arena Fonte Nova stadium in Salvador to ridicule the Afro-Brazillian and Caribbean region of Candomblé. Security let them through, and photos and videos of their racist display went viral.
We believe that this type of rude and racist behavior should not be tolerated at any sporting event, particularly not the World Cup which is viewed by millions of families around the world. Wearing blackface might be fun for a small number of racist spectators, but it ruins the fun of the game for many viewers. We respectfully urge you to ban blackface and all other overtly racist displays at the World Cup. Thank you for taking the time to read and consider our petition.
