Kick It Out is the go-to voice on racism in football, but we rarely see the work it does on a daily basis.
Osei Sankofa, the former Charlton defender who is now Kick It Out’s Education Officer, doesn’t take the same reactionary approach.
Instead, it’s his job to get to the root of the problem and boost equality within the game through education.
He leads the organisation’s push for inclusiveness among everyone in football, mentoring to ensure all feel welcome.
Sankofa understands the complexities of discrimination in football and works to raise awareness of them.
We spoke to him about what he does to educate those within the game, and also what can be done moving forward.
How does your job promote equality and diversity on a day-to-day basis?
“One of my roles is delivering diversity and equality education sessions to academy players, university students and people who work in football.
“So in that sense, it’s about looking at the root of the problem. I also do a lot of stuff with young people, trying to give them opportunities to get into the industry through.
“A lot of people who come into contact with me are reacting to incidents of racism. But also there’s a huge push in the game for more equality and diversity training to make sure football is more inclusive.
“With that said, people need educating on that. We’ll go to football clubs and run training on how you can manage different types of scenarios to make sure the policies are in place. So then anything untoward is dealt with in the correct way and everyone feels fully welcome and appreciated in their workplace.”
Specifically, you do a lot of work with Southampton Solent University to educate those within the game?
“I tutor on a course at Southampton Solent University called the Inclusive Leadership in Football Award.
“It’s a six-week, distance-based course online and most of the people who take part are working in equality-based roles at football clubs. It’s people looking to enhance their knowledge of equality and diversity issues.
“A lot of the examples we use are live incidents that have happened in the game, and there have been loads over the past 12 months. We talk about how policy-makers and how people in managerial roles would deal with those scenarios on their watch.
“It’s the most comprehensive and rigorous course on diversity throughout the whole industry. There’s no other course like this in football, so if you wanted to educate yourself in these areas, it’s the Premier League package.”
What might one of those lessons look like?
“The biggest and most high-profile example, although it’s quite old, is the Anton Ferdinand and John Terry case. So we would go through that and the complexity around the law and the complexity around how the FA treated the issue. Legally it was a not-guilty charge but the FA has a different threshold.
“It’s also about workplace scenarios where there’s two people and it could be subtle and under the surface. We teach how to nip things in the bud before it gets to a HR level and potential legal proceedings.
“But it’s about having an awareness of how people from other cultures and other background are being perceived and how they feel like they’re being treated in that space. Everyone needs to be aware of those nuances.”
Do you feel like the course is having an impact on equality and diversity in football?
“Definitely. Most of the people that do this course are already working at football clubs and are looking to open up and enhance their knowledge on the issue.
“Everyone has said they feel more empowered to deal with issues head on and be able to look a little bit deeper as to what might be considered ‘a laugh’.
“Over 150 people have passed this course and they all work in football.”
Mills and Woozencroft debate what can be done about racism in football
There’s a lot of hateful language on the terraces which might not be considered racist by those chanting. At Tottenham, for instance, they have an established nickname which is anti-Semitic. How do you educate people who don’t realise they’re discriminating against others?
“You want to go in and speak to younger people because their minds and easier to shape and it’s easier to mould their opinions. But the people who do these chants are fully-fledged adults. They also need that education.
“It’s one thing telling someone not to do something, but that’s not enough. People don’t like being told what to do.
“But if you can educate them on what this might mean for someone else and give people real-life experience of how people respond; now you’re giving them a choice. Now they’re deliberately doing this or they can make a change.”
Off the pitch, do the media need to do more to promote equality and diversity?
“You also have a wave of young people now who feel that certain spaces aren’t for them, just because a place might be largely white-male orientated.
“Some people have already talked themselves out of going into certain industries and that’s something that I’m trying to tackle as well.
“There are lots of opportunities, but if you tell yourself that you can’t get into a certain space then you won’t. There’s a barrier that comes from within and I’m trying to make people feel like they can go for whatever job they want and feel welcome.”
Have you seen a change in representation among the media or is there still a long way to go?
“At the top end of the media, you don’t see a lot of diversity. But again, there are lots of reasons for that.
“Sometimes it’s easier to employ someone who you already know. Sometimes the people who are attracted to those roles know where to look. And then there’s people who feel like because an industry is dominated by a certain demographic, they can’t go into it.
“I try and look at the lack of diversity from more than one aspect. I don’t think a lack of diversity is always caused by discrimination. It’s important for young people, especially, to understand that the reason for a lack of diversity isn’t just racism. There’s more to it.”
Looking forward, do you feel positive about the future in light of the work you’re doing?
“I’ve been involved in football on and off the pitch for 20 years, the game has given me everything that I have. I know from the inside how much good work that the game is doing. When I have these conversations, I always say the game could do more and all eyes are on the game to do more.
“But I would question what society is doing to match what football is doing. I think football does a lot of good work. But, ultimately, you can’t stop someone from picking up their phone and writing something on Twitter. What’s football supposed to do about that? Football can’t easily stop a chant that’s been established for decades if three dozen people want to start chanting.
“It’s not an excuse, but I would ask what the rest of society is doing to match football.”
Kick It Out is English football’s equality and inclusion organisation. Working throughout the football, educational and community sectors to challenge discrimination, encourage inclusive practices and campaign for positive change, Kick It Out is at the heart of the fight against discrimination for everyone who plays, watches or works in football.