NIF In the News 

Israeli Soccer Program Promotes Cross-Cultural Cooperation

The Jewish Advocate, May 8, 2009

The soccer stadium is one of Israel’s great equalizers, where talent matters more than socio-economic status, race or religion. Soccer is one of a limited number of opportunities for Arabs to become national heroes, inspiring and garnering support from fans across the country, and every team except one now has at least one Arab member.

However, Israeli soccer also displays a darker side of Israeli sports fans. Until late last season, it was common to hear chanting such as, “Death to Arabs,” monkey noises directed at black players and insults hurled at the Prophet Mohammed. The New Israel Fund initiated the Kick it out Israel program in 2003, designed to reduce racism and increase cross-cultural dialogue. The program has helped establish civil fines for incitement to racist violence and publicizes the rates of racist sports incidents in local and international media.   

An Arab fan presents a Jewish player with flowers at a recent pre-match anti-racism ceremony.

Itzik Shanan, director of Kick it Out, started the program after witnessing the negative atmosphere and unsportsmanlike behavior often seen at matches. But he believes that the common love of the sport can help promote understanding and peace. “In spite of the racism and in spite of the behavior of the crowds sometimes, soccer in Israel brings a new modicum of coexistence and equal opportunity for all players,” said Shanan.

Shanan will be speaking about the program in Newton on May 11, celebrating the successes of the program. He said that defeating racism on and off the field is critical if Israel is to maintain its status as a multicultural state. 

Believing that racism in the soccer stadium mirrors racist attitudes in society at large, NIF modeled Kick it Out on the successful U.K. campaign, “Let’s Kick Racism out of Football.” In partnership with the Israel Football Association and the English Football Association, the action mobilizes fans and players to promote a more sportsmanlike atmosphere on and around the soccer field. Statistics attest to the program’s impact – a 2007 survey found that 60 percent of Israelis feel that the authorities should be doing much more to eliminate the racist and violent behavior of soccer fans, and 37 percent of Israelis would attend matches if there was less racism and violence in the stadiums. 

Through the program, NIF-trained volunteer observers collect data on violent or racist remarks directed at players and other fans due to their religious, racial or national origins, and on incidents of physical violence. The data is published in a weekly Index in leading newspapers and sports Internet sites. During the 2006-2007 season, the Israel Football Association began fining clubs for the racist behavior of the fans, with their disciplinary committees using reports from NIF observers as evidence.

In a promising trend, during the 2007-08 season, there was a 59 percent decrease in racist and physically violent incidents compared to the previous season, and a 40 percent decrease in racist attacks.

“Ten years ago our supporters were problematic,” said Asi Baldut, captain of Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv soccer club. “[But] now they are the best in the league.”

In March, the club was awarded the first fair-play award for Israel’s best-behaved soccer fans. The award, made by NIF together with the Israel Football Association, Ministry of Education and Israeli Police, represented a major turn-around for the team’s supporters, who were once feared as some of the country’s most violent and racist soccer fans. 

In a March 2007 public address, Minister of Sport Ghaleb Majadle, Israel’s first-ever Arab minister, said he hoped the Kick it Out campaign would help fight discrimination against Arabs in Israel.

“It is our job to hold hands with people from all parts of society in this effort to stop racism and violence in sports and in the entire Israeli society,” said Majadele.

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