Kicking racism to the curb: La Liga’s challenges and initiatives in the fight against discrimination
Without a shadow of a doubt, racism represents a societal quandary that extends far beyond the confines of football itself. It is an issue of global proportions that transcends national boundaries and people. La Liga, the premier professional football league in Spain, much like the broader football ecosystem, has ostensibly adopted a stance against racism in recent years, implementing various initiatives to confront this issue head-on. Despite these endeavours, the league has been marred by numerous high-profile incidents of racism, with the most recent and high profile involving the 22-year-old Brazilian prodigy Vinicius Junior.
In this article, the authors analyse La Liga's approach to combating racism, exploring the measures they have taken to foster inclusivity and create a welcoming environment for all players and fans. Additionally, they assess how the league faces hindrances from external societal forces and examine how other leagues that have made strides in combating racism have navigated the obstructive external factors that could have otherwise impeded their actions.
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- Tags: Athlete Welfare | Basketball | Brazil | Cricket | Crime | Discrimination | Dispute Resolution | FIFA | Football | Football Offenses Act 1991 | Football Spectators Act 1989 | ICC | Police | Racism | Regulation & Governance | Safeguarding | Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 | Spain | Sport | The FA | UEFA | UK
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Written by
Faithfulness Okom
Faithfulness became a qualified Nigerian lawyer in 2019, and after a year of experience as a teaching assistant at the University of Lagos Law Faculty, he proceeded to an LLM in sports law at the Escuela Universitaria Real Madrid, where he emerged as the best student for the 2021/22 session. He recently completed a one-year-long internship at one of Europe's leading sports law firms, Ruiz Huerta y Crespo Abogados, where he gained practical experience working on traditional FIFA/CAS footballing disputes and more topical issues like NFT, Metaverse, and Esports contracts.
Rajiv Autar
Rajiv Autar is a dedicated sports lawyer, specializing in providing legal counsel to athletes, clubs, agents, and federations. With an LL.M in international sports law, Autar's expertise is further enriched by his valuable experiences at prestigious organizations such as Real Madrid C.F. and Bichara e Motta Advogados. His profound understanding of web3.0 technologies enhances his ability to skilfully navigate the ever-evolving landscape of modern sports and entertainment.
Autar is based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and he has recently established AutarSportainment, a dynamic sports and entertainment law and intermediary company that operates on a global scale
