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Kick Racism out of Football


The first attempts to establish anti-racist groups among fans were launched by the Anti Nazi League, known at the time for its Rock against Racism campaign, amongst other things. The twenty or so groups that existed as early as 1979 met with little support from die-hard football fans.

They were dismissed as 'politniks' from outside who allegedly had no interest in the game. Some clubs, such as Leyton Orient in London, banned them from the stadium and demanded that they destroy their material because the club name was being misused for political purposes.

In a second attempt a number of supporter groups set up fanzines and put out leaflets in response to specific incidents. They began singing chants of opposition and making requests of clubs. One of the first and biggest was founded in 1987 under the name of Leeds Fans against Racism and Fascism. They had to battle against rejection by the clubs and the police. Leeds United, for example, were unwilling to admit that racism was happening. In association with Searchlight magazine Leeds supporters therefore produced a record of racist incidents.

They also highlighted the links between the far-right National Front and Leeds supporters and launched the fanzine Marching on together. The club were asked to carry out integration work in the local community. Attempts at infiltration by organised right-wing groups began to diminish and the chanting gradually stopped. At the beginning of the 1990s Arsenal's black striker Ian Wright praised their work, saying: "Last week we were in Leeds, it was brilliant! They have an initiative, they have collected signatures against Nazis and the racist abuse of black players. This is a huge step forward, it was always particularly bad in Leeds …. A lot has changed."

In 1993 the nationwide Let's Kick Racism out of Football (KIO) campaign was launched. The highprofile Commission for Racial Equality responded by organising events at clubs, sponsoring anti-racism friendlies and producing magazines, posters and banners that focused on the regular abuse from normal fans, in particular.

By 1995, 91 out of the 92 professional clubs in England and Wales had joined the campaign. The Advisory Group Against Racism and Intimidation (AGARI) was also established in association with the English Football Association.

To allow the work to be conducted on a permanent basis, three full-time workers were taken on in London in 1997. Kick It Out began with a magazine for teenagers and an insert in the popular football magazine Shoot.

The main tasks of KIO include:

  • Intensifying the work with clubs, in particular with and for migrants
  • Expanding the campaign to amateur football with local partners
  • Developing education concepts for young people
  • Minimising the exclusion of blacks and Asians in football
  • Taking the campaign to the whole of Europe and creating networks

The campaign has succeeded in changing the widely held view that stadiums are a place for racism. Most clubs recognise that racism exists in football and that they have a responsibility, a basic condition for any anti-racist work. Supporter organisations and local authority efforts are bundled, new initiatives are strengthened, migrants and their descendents are given a voice.