Racism in German football: Progress made, but work to do

German football has seen several high-profile racist incidents in recent months, triggering discussions about the prominence of discriminatory tendencies in Germany's stadiums.

While the situation is far from perfect, professionals working with German football fans say the game has come a long way over the past 30 years in the fight for inclusion and against racism.

Much of the progress achieved in German football over the last three decades is down to a special form of football-related educational work developed in Germany known as the Fanprojekte - or "fan projects."

As part of the fan projects, professional social workers work closely with young football fans, representing their interests when dealing with authorities and clubs.

Funding for the organizations comes 50 percent from the German state and 50 percent from the German Football Association (DFB) and Football League (DFL), but the fan projects act independently and are focused on the young supporters and their interests.

The fan projects enjoy a high level of trust among match-going fans, particularly with hardcore, vocal ultra groups. This trust has enabled them to kick-start a discussion about discrimination and racism on Germany's terraces.

Michael Gabriel is the head of the Koordinationsstelle Fanprojekte (KOS), the umbrella institution which coordinates the work done by the local fan projects in some 60 locations across Germany. Established in 1993, the KOS is in contact with the social workers, coordinating educational campaigns and providing professional guidance.

Progress 30 years in the making

In a conversation with DW, Gabriel recalls a very different atmosphere in Germany's stadiums back when the Fanprojekte started their work.

"Fan culture in Germany wasn't only affected by violence back in the eighties, but also by racism, nationalism and chauvinism. When looking at it from a macro perspective, we can see that the situation has significantly improved," he says.

As a point of comparison, Gabriel argues the case of fans helping in the apprehension of the fan who made monkey chants towards Würzburger Kickers' Leroy Kwadwo wouldn't have received the same attention from both supporters across the country and the media back in the eighties.

"It shows the level of sensitivity we've achieved in the past 30 years," Gabriel argues.

At the heart of the fan projects' work is the assumption that the supporters are those who shape Germany's fan culture, and it's up to them to determine their own ideals. By supporting fans' abilities to organize and start discussions, through the establishment of fanzines, amongst other things, the fan projects were among those who supported fans having a voice.

It was this sense of self-responsibility that helped trigger discussions about a more inclusive fan culture. Many of Germany's fan and ultra groups realized racist tendencies are counterproductive to their efforts of growing and increasing their reach.

Hopp case "alarming"

Compared to the situation in other European countries, the public debate about discrimination in German football is relatively progressive. But that's not to say the situation is perfect.

The FARE network has been monitoring racist incidents in European football for more than twenty years. Pavel Klymenko, FARE's head of policy, tells DW that recent developments provide no reason to be complacent.

According to Klymenko, the way the three-step procedure was misapplied in the personal insults directed at Hoffenheim owner Dietmar Hopp, rather than in the numerous cases of discrimination and racism which took place in Germany recently, is "quite alarming," with the lack of diversity at German football's executive-level being one of the reasons behind this.

Boardroom diversity an issue

"Given how diverse German society is, there are hardly any bigger misrepresentations of society than the DFB's executive board," Klymenko says. As of March 2020, the DFB's executive board includes eighteen men and one female member, responsible for women's football.

This lack of diversity has repercussions in day-to-day decision making. "Someone who has suffered from discrimination in their life can better identify with victims of racist abuse and act with sympathy accordingly," FARE's Klymenko explains. "Generally speaking, diverse boardrooms make better decisions."

While Klymenko sees the numerous anti-racism campaigns by the DFB and the DFL as a positive sign, he says it's decisive actions that are needed rather than words.

"Associations need to look at themselves and ask how diverse their structures are. Football must be structured in a way which helps support those who suffer from racism."

Far-right rise poses challenges

Speaking about the future, both Gabriel and Klymenko agree the far right's rise is set to pose new challenges going forward. "Things are being said nowadays that would have ended political careers in previous times," says Gabriel.

"It's no coincidence that the racist incidents in Germany recently came from the seating areas rather than the terraces. This is the best evidence that racism doesn't only exist among far-right circles but at the very center of society."