FC Inter Turku player Vahid Hambon, who is a dual Finnish and Bosnian citizen, was a target of racial slurs at a recent match against FC Lahti. The incident has received national attention thanks to tabloid Iltalehti. 

While racial slurs can be heard in Finland as well by fans, the important question we should ask is if bodies like the Finnish Football Association (FFA) are doing enough to address such problems, said Christian Thibault, executive director of Liikkukaa – Sports for All, an association that promotes greater inclusion of migrants and minorities in sports.

Amnesty International’s managing director for Finland, Frank Johansson, said last year that racial slurs and racism at football games were common in Finland.

“Why do experts at the [Finnish] Football Association say racist incidents should be reported to the home club but not directly to the Association?” said Thibault. “Why are they playing down the problem if it happens more often than we know?”

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Maurizio Pratesi, an expert on multicultural issues at the FFA, said recently that fans can help at games by reporting any racist incidents to the home team. He said that the problem isn’t as widespread in Finland as in other European country but that vigilance is still necessary.

“In Finland we don’t have that strong of a supporter culture so you can’t really talk about a widespread problem,” said Pratesi. “On the other hand this happens too often in the stands taking into account how few people attend games in Finland.”

The most recent case involving Hambo of FC Inter Turku is another sad example of racism at football matches in Finland.

“What is Football Associaiton doing to address these types of incidents,” asked Thibault. “It’s very rare in Finland that a player like Hambon takes up such an issue in the media. This is a good opportunity for them to address the issue.”

The Liikkukaa executive director added that since talented players like Hambon are the future of Finnish football they should do their best to defend and support them against racial slurs at games.  Continue reading “UPDATED Liikkukaa’s Christian Thibault: The Finnish Football Association should remain vigilant on racism”