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Journalism of Courage
Two weeks before the ongoing FIFA World Cup kicked off in Qatar, FIFA President Gianni Infantino wrote to all 32 countries competing, urging them to “let football take the stage” in Qatar.
The message was clear: amid the controversies surrounding the host country, with some players and teams (such as Denmark) registering their disapproval a few months ago, it was now time to focus on the sport itself.
But Infantino might not see this call being taken seriously, with the second day of the games seeing politics on the field during the England vs Iran match. England’s team took the knee in their first match of the tournament before play began on Monday (November 21). England manager Gareth Southgate had announced the team would do so to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Iran, meanwhile, used the stage to show solidarity with protestors back home, who have been agitating for months after the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman allegedly killed by the country’s morality police for wearing the hijab incorrectly. And this game or the world cup is no exception because sports and protests are often brought to the field.
The 1960s saw a strong civil rights movement emerge in the US, fighting for racial segregation (separate, unequal spaces for black and white people) and discrimination to end.
Away from home, at the Mexico City Olympics, the men’s 200m race concluded and the medals were hung around the necks of Tommie Smith from the USA who came first, and fellow American John Carlos, the bronze-winner. As the US’s national anthem played, the two Black Americans wearing black gloves, raised their fists in the black power salute.
Their actions led to boos in the stadium and the men were told to leave the country by US Olympic officials and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), with the line being that the Olympics was no space for politics of any kind. It is also believed that Smith and Carlos had their careers deeply affected by their decision to protest. “I shouldn’t have to go out there and stick my fist in the sky…I didn’t ask to be no martyr in society…But somebody got to take the forward step,” Carlos said years later.
Earlier in the year, the New Zealand team had toured South Africa, against the United Nations’ calls for a sporting embargo. This was to condemn the apartheid regime in place in South Africa that followed discrimination against non-white people and had segregation baked into its laws.
Incensed African nations had already threatened to boycott Montreal if the tour went ahead. When it did, they demanded that the IOC exclude New Zealand from the Games. The IOC did not agree and the country’s athletes competed as usual.
Among the most eagerly anticipated events at the Montreal Olympics was the expected 1500-m showdown between John Walker of New Zealand and Filbert Bayi of Tanzania. But Bayi would not compete, with Tanzania the first African nation to announce that it would boycott the Games. In all, more than 20 African nations stayed away.
Though 2020 saw protests against police brutality targeted at Black people come to the forefront, many other instances of police misconduct have also caused protests.
Most notably, the practice of taking the knee to denounce racism is often linked with American football player Colin Kapernick. In 2016, Kaepernick silently kneeled during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality, following many cases of illegal police action in the previous few months, while the national anthem played.
But his actions also invited criticism in the US, particularly by conservative Americans who believe the national anthem is getting disrespected. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of colour,” Kaepernick said at a press conference. “To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way,” he said.
The move became emulated globally over time as a symbol of resistance to racism in sport, with the England football team – and others in the game – following suit in 2020. The Indian cricket team, in the first such gesture, also took the knee in 2021.
Prior to the men’s football world cup, another Iranian team refused to sing the national anthem this year. Its water polo team refused to sing the national anthem before the opening match of the Asian Championship against India in early November.
The nationwide demonstrations began in September after the death of 22-year-old Amini. Authorities said she died because of a health condition and was not mistreated, but her family has cast doubts on that. The protests have not died down despite reports of authorities severely cracking down on agitators.
