Many FC Bayern Munich stars are exposed to hate comments.Image: imago/ district photo
Bundesliga
Racist excesses and insults are part of the sad daily routine in the world of football. Players keep getting caught in the crosshairs of “fans” who misinterpret the internet or the stadium as a legal vacuum.
It is often forgotten that football players are also people with emotions and feelings. FC Bayern Munich has now drawn attention to this in cooperation with Deutsche Telekom.
Action against hate on the internet
In a short clip that was published on various social media channels and is also broadcast on TV, you can see the three Bayern players Leroy Sané, Thomas Müller and Leon Goretzka describing real hate comments that the professionals are exposed to see. “It used to be Mia san Mia. Now only foreigners”, is a saying. “Fuck your life, you selfish bastard,” Sané shares a hostility and also speaks of a racist insult that was even censored, the N-word is mentioned.
Under the title “Against Hatred on the Net”, FC Bayern, together with its main sponsor, Deutsche Telekom, is raising awareness of an important topic. The website of the German record champion says:
“The campaign wants to enlighten and encourage the silent majority of people to take active action against hate speech and insults on the Internet and to shape the online discourse in a positive way. A clear request not to be silent, but to speak up against hate speech on the Internet. With the Together with Deutsche Telekom, we want to shake up video and encourage people to stand up against hate together.”
“We have a responsibility to work together against hate in our sport and in society. It’s about decency, acceptance and fair cooperation.”CEO Oliver Kahn underlines the important message.
According to the study, a quarter of all respondents were attacked on the Internet
During his time as a professional, he himself experienced “what verbal gaffes and aggression can do.” Since these comments often remain hidden on the Internet, he advocates more transparency there.
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According to a study, Telekom writes on its website, around a quarter of those surveyed have seen themselves exposed to insults or even threats on the Internet. For people who are in the public eye, one can assume that the number is much higher.
In particular, football as a whole is not only a reflection of society, but also always a burning glass of social resentment. It is all the more important to address these problems over and over again with sincere messages.
