Report on the recent Round Table: "Football: An instrument in the fight against racism?"

The event held on 22nd March, and which was organised by the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) in collaboration with the Department of Multicultural Cohesion and the Forum ‘All different, all equal’, within the Neuchâtel Action Week against Racism was, without any doubt, a great success. A large public audience gathered to hear the speakers views on the essential question asked at the beginning of the evening: "Football: An instrument in the fight against racism?". This varied audience enriched the event and played an essential role in the flow of this friendly evening. Therefore, we would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all the participants – no matter what their skin colour, gender, nationality, religion, age, football fan or not – for their presence and active participation.

The round table gathered five speakers with world-renowned expertise namely, Christian Karembeu (former French international footballer, 1998 World Cup winner and UEFA ambassador), Guillaume Hoarau (French international footballer, BSC Young Boys Switzerland), Patrick Gasser (Head of Football and Social Responsibility at UEFA), Raffaele Poli (Head of the CIES Football Observatory) and Thomas Busset (Scientific Collaborator at CIES).

The official opening was made by Vincent Schatzmann, CIES General Secretary, who began the event by providing an overview of the evening content for discussion, introduced the participants of the round table and highlighted their professional experience. Pierre Cornu, President of the CIES Foundation Council and a judge at the Court of Appeal in Neuchâtel next took to the floor to thank the organisers for their collaboration and for bringing together such an important thematic discussion. Thomas Busset, an expert in supporterism, hooliganism and also winter sports, defined the scientific frames of the debate while also highlighting the fundamental historical and sociological aspects of racism in general and, more specifically, in the area of international football. Raffaele Poli then opened the debate between Christian Karembeu, Guillaume Hoarau, Patrick Gasser and Thomas Busset in order to consider the central question of the evening.

Finally, Vincent Schatzmann concluded the session by thanking the main partners, the speakers, and all those who contributed to the organization of this round table discussion as well as the numerous members of the public who had supported this special evening. He also announced details for the next co-organised event between CIES and the SNG. For more information please click here. 

The full event can be watched again online via the CIES YouTube channel (in French).

Also, you can view the articles and radio interviews for this event below:

1. Racisme hors-jeu. Une semaine sportive en faveur de l’intégration. Association neuchâteloise de la presse sportive. 14 mars 2018
http://anps.ch/racisme-hors-jeu/

2. Le football pour lutter contre le racisme. RTN, 14 mars 2018
https://www.rtn.ch/rtn/Actualite/Region/20180314-Le-football-pour-lutter-contre-le-racisme.html

3. Le football pour lutter contre le racisme. RFJ, 14 mars 2018
https://www.rfj.ch/rfj/Actualite/Region/20180314-Le-football-pour-lutter-contre-le-racisme.html

4. 70 manifestations se déroulent à travers le canton pour lutter contre le racisme. Semaine sportive en faveur de l’intégration. Vivre la ville. La ville s’engage. 14 mars 2018, page 9
https://www.neuchatelville.ch/fileadmin/sites/ne_ville/fichiers/presse/vivre_la_ville/imported/2018/Vivre_la_Ville_14_mars_2018.pdf

5. L’invité du journal: Raffaele Poli, observateur du foot, Canal alpha, 14 mars 2018
http://www.canalalpha.ch/actu/linvite-du-journal-raffaele-poli-observateur-du-foot/

6. Une journée de football pour mettre le racisme hors-jeu. Arcinfo, 16 mars 2018

7. Le football, instrument de lutte ou miroir du racisme ordinaire ? Arcinfo, 20 mars 2018

8. Karembeu : C’est à nous de réécrire l’histoire. 20 minutes. 23 mars 2018
http://www.20min.ch/ro/sports/football/story/Karembeu---C-est-a-nous-de-reecrire-l-histoire--24100917

9. Karembeu et Hoarau à Neuchâtel contre le racisme. Canal alpha. 23 mars 2018
http://www.canalalpha.ch/actu/karembeu-et-hoarau-a-neuchatel-contre-le-racisme/

10. Karembeu parle racisme et sport à Neuchâtel. RTN. 23 mars 2018
https://www.rtn.ch/rtn/Programmes/emissions/La-Matinale/Karembeu-parle-racisme-et-sport-a-Neuchatel.html

11. Des stars du ballon rond pour lutter contre le racisme. RTN. 23 mars 2018
https://www.rtn.ch/rtn/Actualite/Region/20180323-Des-stars-du-ballon-rond-pour-lutter-contre-le-racisme.html

12. Nous avons donné une fierté multiculturelle à la France. Le Temps, 24 mars 2018, page 19
https://www.letemps.ch/sport/christian-karembeu-1998-avons-donne-une-fierte-multiculturelle-france

13. Carton rouge contre le racisme. Arcinfo. 24 mars 2018. Pages 1,2 et 3.

14. Football: comment lutter efficacement contre le racisme? Sport 1ère RTS. 24 mars 2018

https://pages.rts.ch/la-1ere/programmes/sport-premiere/9397854-sport-premiere-du-24-03-2018.html

https://www.rts.ch/play/radio/sport-premiere/audio/football-comment-lutter-efficacement-contre-le-racisme?id=9397848&station=a9e7621504c6959e35c3ecbe7f6bed0446cdf8da

15. La semaine contre le racisme attire les foules. RTN. 3 avril 2018  
https://www.rtn.ch/rtn/Actualite/Region/20180403-La-semaine-contre-le-racisme-attire-les-foules.html

16. Participation record pour la 23e édition de la Semaine neuchâteloise d’actions contre le racisme. Arcinfo. 3 avril 2018 
https://www.arcinfo.ch/articles/regions/canton/participation-record-pour-la-23e-edition-de-la-semaine-neuchateloise-d-actions-contre-le-racisme-747770