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Today “kicks off” the start of the FIFA World Cup, during which thirty-two men’s soccer teams from around the world will face off in Russia to compete for the title of World Champions. It’s pretty much a big deal – even if your team(s) didn’t qualify for the tournament or you’re not a soccer fan. More than three billion viewers tuned in to watch the 2014 FIFA World Cup, nearly half of the world’s population. To date, soccer is ranked as the number one sport with the highest estimated global following of 4 billion—and growing.

This year, in particular, the FIFA World Cup should be of interest to the D&I community, as the committee is introducing a few new initiatives that will hopefully create a more inclusive environment for these global games.

The new integration of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system and an anti-discrimination monitoring system will be implemented at all matches. VAR will give referees the advantage to record multiple-angled views of the field, with replay capabilities, for better call accuracy. The anti-discrimination monitoring system is also a game changer and has made history as the first of its kind. Referees have full authority to put a stop to blatant discriminatory acts within the confines of the football (soccer)stadiums. FIFA explained this new antidiscrimination monitoring system on their website:

“While the observers will monitor the situation from the stands, the referees on the pitch will now also be able to intervene if needed. According to the so called three-step procedure, they will have the authority to first stop the match and request a public announcement asking for the discriminatory behaviour to cease, to suspend the match until the behaviour stops following another warning announcement, and finally, if the behaviour still persists, to decide to abandon the match.”  

FIFA has been proactive in increasing awareness about their efforts against discrimination. Some campaigns have focused specifically on racism, like their campaign “Say No to Racism – My Game is Fair Play”. More recently they’ve released documents to support diversity and anti-discrimination practices:

The initiative that stood out to me, which might be beneficial to all, is the Global Guide to Discriminatory Practices in Football courtesy of Fare Network. The guide outlines best practices and strategies for diversity, anti-discrimination efforts, and inclusion across different countries, includes a glossary of terms and phrases, and provides photographical examples. The guide’s purpose is to raise awareness and to avoid intentional or unintentional discriminatory practices.

These guides and campaigns could be helpful on and off the pitch. In general, I think we could take a cue from these efforts to make our inclusion efforts more transparent, thorough, practical, and hopefully far reaching. I’m looking forward to watching the World Cup and to cheering on not only my team, but also inclusion.

What do you think about FIFA's diversity and inclusion efforts? Should we follow their lead? #FIFA #WorldCup Share on X