An RSL player is speaking up on a worldwide issue — racism in soccer

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Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Real Salt Lake center back Nedum Onuoha has been outspoken about racism back home in England. In the offseason, Onuoha who worked as an analyst for BBC Manchester and was at the game where Manchester City star Raheem Sterling was accosted with racist slurs at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge. It's an ongoing system trend in worldwide soccer.

Racism in soccer remains a pressing global concern. Incidents of racial abuse target players, officials, and fans based on their skin color, nationality, or ethnicity. Unfortunately, this issue persists despite efforts to combat it.

For instance, during the 2019-20 season in England and Wales, one in ten football matches experienced hate crime incidents, and arrests related to racist or indecent chanting doubled from the previous season.

Additionally, online abuse has escalated, with over 3,000 abusive messages aimed at Premier League players during the final six weeks of last season, 56% of which were racist1. UEFA has also fined seven national soccer federations for discriminatory fan conduct during Euro 2024 games. The urgency of addressing this crisis is evident, and organizations like Fare, an anti-discrimination group, are advocating for action to combat racism in soccer.