Since a premature retirement in 1994, English pro soccer player Paul Elliott has worked to fight the racism he faced as a player. Now he’s turning his attention to the next big issue facing soccer. He was asked by FIFA.com: “Where do you see the next challenge for football in fighting discrimination?”
Homophobia is a big one. That needs to be challenged in the same way racism has been. And there’s still what I would call institutional discrimination in football. We’re actually running a campaign at the moment called ‘Fair Share’, which is aimed at getting better representation for women and minorities in boardrooms, committees, councils and in coaching itself. What we’re talking about here is equality of opportunities. That’s a huge challenge for us, and I’m excited by the prospect of taking it on.
Since a premature retirement in 1994, English pro soccer player Paul Elliott has worked to fight the racism he faced as a player. Now he’s turning his attention to the next big issue facing soccer. He was asked by FIFA.com: “Where do you see the next challenge for football in fighting discrimination?”
Homophobia is a big one. That needs to be challenged in the same way racism has been. And there’s still what I would call institutional discrimination in football. We’re actually running a campaign at the moment called ‘Fair Share’, which is aimed at getting better representation for women and minorities in boardrooms, committees, councils and in coaching itself. What we’re talking about here is equality of opportunities. That’s a huge challenge for us, and I’m excited by the prospect of taking it on.
