Bayer 04 Leverkusen against racism
With its enormous reach and charisma, soccer repeatedly serves as an excellent platform for promoting and conveying values such as tolerance and integration. With this goal in mind, the European Football for Development Network (EFDN) has launched the 24-month anti-racism and anti-discrimination Europe-wide programme Show Racism the Red Card (SRtRC). The project is supported by the EU, numerous clubs are involved – including Bayer 04. The team takes a clear stand against racism and discrimination.
SRtRC is based on the proven concept of the Red Card Campaign delivered in several European countries, which originated in the United Kingdom. Show Racism the Red Card utilises the social power of football and the high-profile status of football players to help tackle racism and other forms of discrimination in society. The project aims to raise awareness on diversity, foster social cohesion, and reduce physical and verbal violence linked to racism. The majority of the campaign’s output is an awareness-raising campaign in stadiums. Clubs distribute the Red Cards throughout their stadium for fans to hold up during the game. Fans can share pictures of them holding up the Red Card on social media by using the hashtags #ShowRacismTheRedCard, #SRTRCEU and #DiversityWins. The Red Cards are available in all the 24 EU languages (+ Norwegian). By displaying the Red Cards, clubs and fans show that they take a stand against racism!
With the content that is shared by clubs, fans and players, EFDN and participating clubs will produce European media campaigns and organise engaging events to promote equality. During these events, the participating clubs will share best practices and will create, adapt or further develop educational resources. To move beyond just a hashtag, together with the clubs, there is an educational programme. You can read more about the educational programme here. Furthermore, to have an even greater impact, the Red Card campaign is rolled out into an awareness-raising campaign on anti-racism and anti-discrimination for grassroots clubs. You can find more information about the grassroots campaign here.
Take a stand against racism and join our campaign!
