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During the “International Weeks Against Racism” (March 20 – April 2) and particularly around Matchday 26 of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, the DFL, DFL Stiftung and the 36 professional clubs will come together to make a clear statement against racism and racial discrimination. The message “STOP RACISM” will be visible in all stadiums hosting home matches, as well as during broadcasts by media partners and on digital communication channels.
Since 2016, the “International Weeks Against Racism” have been coordinated in Germany by the anti-racism foundation “Stiftung gegen Rassismus”, and support from German professional football comes in various forms.
A clear message: STOP RACISM
For Matchday 26 (March 31 – April 2), clubs with home matches in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 will be provided with a special ball stand featuring the STOP RACISM logo, designed by the DFL. In coordination with partner DERBYSTAR, the official match ball, which is displayed on the stand when the teams walk onto the pitch, will also feature the logo. Depending on the club, additional signs of solidarity, such as walk-on shirts or shoelaces in the campaign colour “Signal Violet” will also be used.
To better reach spectators watching via screens, national and international media partners of the DFL have also announced their support for the campaign. Calls to action from the DFL, the DFL Foundation and the professional clubs via the various digital communication channels will accompany the various measures throughout the communication period – in some cases with bigger events. The logo and the signal colour will also be integrated into the final of the Virtual Bundesliga Club Championship eFootball competition in Cologne on March 25/26.
“International Weeks Against Racism” stem from United Nations
The “International Weeks Against Racism” stem from an initiative of the United Nations. Two weeks around the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (March 21) have been chosen as the period for the campaign, in which “Stiftung gegen Rassismus” calls on everyone in German society to take a stand against racism and discrimination.
Moritz Glenk, project manager at “Stiftung gegen Rassismus”, spoke in a 2022 interview to the DFL (in German) about the development and background of the two-week campaign, and about the relevance and role of professional football. Among other things, Glenk said: “With its broad appeal, professional football has the ability to reach lots of people and to make clear that we as a society stand against racism and will not tolerate racist behaviour. It is incredibly important and useful that professional football can take the lead as a role model, appealing to people who we as a foundation cannot reach.”
Far beyond this year’s campaign matchday, German professional football is involved in various ways in the fight against racism and racial discrimination, as highlighted by the following examples from the DFL and the DFL Foundation. The professional clubs also carry out numerous initiatives and projects of their own.
