Accidental Racists: Experiences and Contradictions of Racism in local Amsterdam Soccer Fan Culture

Abstract

Soccer racism is increasingly defined as a cultural problem that involves more than just a group of hooligans. However, empirical research carried out from such a perspective is still rare. In this paper we present and analyze the results of a recent study of the ways in which soccer fans and players experience different manifestations of racism in local Amsterdam soccer culture. Our analysis shows that both soccer fans and players generally believe that acts are racist only when they are committed by a racist person. When ordinary fans and players engage in racist behaviours, they avoid accountability by claiming that they did not intend it to be racist. Victims of racism, on the other hand, are then left with the burden of proving that their offenders are ‘real’ racists to avoid charges of over‐sensitivity or not being able to take a joke. This dynamic offers an explanation for why many instances of daily racist abuse go by unchallenged and more subtle racializations of contemporary soccer culture remain completely unaddressed.