By Mark Baber
November 13 – The issue of a Roma football club based in Decin in the Czech Republic, whom five league opponents have refused to play, has highlighted the racism and discrimination faced by the Roma communities in Eastern Europe and illustrates the obstacles football administrators need to overcome to ensure equal access and opportunities for all.
Widespread discrimination and the difficulties of ensuring social inclusion of the Roma community in the Czech Republic has been reflected in the history of Roma football in Decin, a town with a large Roma community.
In 2011 FC Děčín ended up being closed down after tensions between the Roma team and a local non-Roma team Lokomotiv Děčín, allegedly including racist abuse, led to on-field and dressing room clashes, disciplinary fines of €1,400 which the club was unable to pay, and the banning of two team players for two and three years respectively.
In recent weeks the newly reconstituted team, now known as FC Junior Roma Děčín has found five out of ten opponents in the Czech nineth flight league, claiming the team and supporters are unruly and potentially violent, choosing to forfeit the points and pay a small fine rather than turn up to play the team.
Some opponents claim the boycott is not racist in nature, with the coach of Rybniste, Josef Kucera claiming: “We had a bad experience with them and that’s why we don’t want to play them.”
According to local activists, the team provides a valuable positive outlet for youth in the town, and it has been supported by the local council. The succession of forfeits has led to demonstrations of solidarity, including from the Czech Republic’s diplomatic community. A team of diplomats, wearing ‘We show the red card to racism’ shirts, from the embassies of Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, the United States and the UK organised a game against the team on September 21.
As for the Czech football federation, a spokesperson has denied the boycott of the team by opponents is a racism-related problem, claiming that despite the penalties (which have been described as very tough) meted out to the Roma players involved in violence in 2011, clubs “are afraid it might happen again.”
According the Czech football federation, the FC Decin has agreed to boost security at home matches, and matches will be played as scheduled in spring.
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