Drogba and Weah combine to do battle against racism on FIFA panel

 

Two of Africa’s greatest footballing sons, George Weah and Didier Drogba, have stepped into a battle that has been raging since they dominated the beautiful game, namely racism.

The pair headline a freshly formed FIFA 16-strong panel of ex-players tasked with dragging football’s response to discrimination into the modern age. First floated at FIFA’s congress in Thailand earlier this year, the initiative aims to put player power at the heart of anti-racism strategy, from education and reform to real-world sanctions.

The panel will monitor and advise on anti-racism initiatives based on the Global Stand Against Racism, drive education at all levels of the game and serve as a think tank for new ideas

Weah, the former Ballon d’Or winner and Liberian president, has been handed the symbolic role of honorary captain. His message was simple yet powerful saying, “Football brings unity and development. It also enhances humanity… I am honoured to serve in this role.”

Drogba, meanwhile, arrives at a moment when racism in football is front and center, and the wrong sort of headlines are seemingly created every weekend. From the terraces to the increasingly toxic world of social media, players are still being targeted with abuse. Despite campaigns like Kick It Out and No Room for Racism that strive to bring attention to this vile behavior, many argue that punishments remain inconsistent, toothless, and perhaps more crucially, ineffective.

“The Players’ Voice Panel is the result of the unanimous vote by all 211 FIFA Member Associations who, through the Global Stand Against Racism, have made clear that the world is united against the scourge of racism in our game. As part of this, and for the first time ever, we will have players at the heart of the movement required to make this change a reality,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

“Racism and discrimination are not simply wrong — they are crimes. All incidents of racism, whether in stadiums or online, must be fully punished both by football and across society,” he continued.

Established under pillar 5 of FIFA’s Global Stand Against Racism, which was unanimously adopted by member associations at the FIFA Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, in May last year – the Players’ Voice Panel line-up is includes: honorary captain George Weah (Liberia), Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo), Mercy Akide (Nigeria), Iván Córdoba (Colombia), Didier Drogba (Côte d’Ivoire), Khalilou Fadiga (Senegal), Formiga (Brazil), Jessica Houara (France), Maia Jackman (New Zealand), Sun Jihai (China PR), Blaise Matuidi (France), Aya Miyama (Japan), Lotta Schelin (Sweden), Briana Scurry (United States), Mikaël Silvestre (France) and Juan Pablo Sorín (Argentina).

“Football brings unity and development. It also enhances humanity,” said Weah. “I will always exert all efforts, as I have done in the past and continue to do, to promote the sport because football is life.”