Paying the price? Why football still has a problem

Several high profile incidents have ensured that the problem of racism in football, widely perceived to have been in abeyance in recent years, has been a continuing focus of media and political attention. On-field confrontations between Premiership players John Terry and Anton Ferdinand, and between Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra, and claims of racist chanting at various grounds, raise questions about the long-term impact of a series of anti-racism campaigns and legal and regulatory interventions. In many respects, incidents of inter-player racist abuse and public displays of racism have been more notable in the last year or so precisely because they were problems that – like football hooliganism – had been perceived by many to have been largely resolved. This article will assess whether this really is the case within English football and will suggest that, while substantial progress has been made in challenging some forms of racism, there are still many challenges facing those campaigning against racism within the game.