Football and Racism: How Colonialism Shaped the Modern Game

Explosive and groundbreaking study of racism in football and its roots from award-winning journalist Ronny Blaschke.

Racism in football is reduced to neo-Nazis and monkey chants. But if we want to understand its origins, we have to go back further. Drawing on more than 100 interviews from five different continents, this hard-hitting investigation reveals how:

• Colonial powers such as Britain and France wanted to civilise their subjects through sport
• Their racial theory has long since been debunked, yet racist thinking still characterises European football today
• Black people are often considered powerful athletes, but rarely get the opportunity to become coaches or board members
• Colonial thinking still persists in talent scouting, sponsorship and the media
• Racism is blighting football in Britain, Brazil, Namibia and India among other places

At the centre of this book are people players, fans and activists who stand up to racism with courage and grit. In England, black referees are networking to have a stronger voice. In Brazil, reporters are producing a podcast for Afro-Brazilian issues in sport. Above all, the question is: how can racism in football be pushed back?