Standing up to football racism

A FOOTBALL team made up of immigrants are wearing tops emblazoned with the racial slurs they receive in a bid to highlight the issue.

The amateur team from Jerez de la Frontera said the insults are often shouted at them from side lines or from rival athletes.

The team wore the jerseys for the final Tercera Andaluza division game for the 2018-2019 season. One player told media:“We are in the 21st century and I don’t understand how they can still say these insults.”

Slurs include the Spanish words for ‘gorilla,’ ‘slave,’ and ‘illegal.’ Midfielder Eric Josue Amang, who left Cameroon for Spain in 2013, told one publication: “We did it to tell everyone that we are not criminals.”  He added: “We are people and we are not bothering anybody.”

Alma de Africa’s players are from 12 different countries, including Nigeria, Bolivia, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania, Ivory Coast and Morrocco.