Show Racism the Red Card

Show Racism the Red Card
Name	Show Racism the Red Card
Formation	1996
Founder	Ged Grebby
Type	Non-profit
Headquarters	Newcastle upon Tyne
Region served	United Kingdom

Show Racism the Red Card is a British anti-racism charity founded in 1996 that uses football and footballers to educate about racism and promote inclusion. It operates through educational resources, workshops, media campaigns, and partnerships with professional clubs and international bodies. The organization engages with players, managers, clubs, stadiums, schools, and community groups to challenge discrimination linked to ethnicity, nationality, religion, and migration.

History

The charity was established by Ged Grebby after incidents in Newcastle upon Tyne attracted attention to racial abuse at matches involving teams like Newcastle United F.C. and events linked to supporters of Sunderland A.F.C.. Early outreach involved collaborations with figures from Manchester United F.C. and Liverpool F.C. as well as appearances at fixtures featuring clubs such as Arsenal F.C., Chelsea F.C., Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Everton F.C., Leeds United A.F.C., Aston Villa F.C., West Ham United F.C., and Leicester City F.C.. The initiative drew on precedents set by campaigns associated with FIFA and UEFA and engaged with campaigns against discrimination inspired by organisations like Kick It Out and events connected to the Premier League. International exchanges involved contacts with federations such as the Scottish Football Association and the Football Association and civic partners in cities like Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Belfast.

Mission and Activities

The charity’s mission emphasizes tackling racial prejudice through high-profile engagement with athletes, using ambassadors drawn from clubs including Manchester City F.C., Borussia Dortmund, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid CF, Juventus F.C., AC Milan, FC Bayern Munich, and national teams like England national football team, Scotland national football team, Wales national football team, Republic of Ireland national football team, France national football team, Germany national football team, Brazil national football team, and Nigeria national football team. Activities have featured appearances by players associated with Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand, John Barnes, Emile Heskey, Michael Owen, David Beckham, Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Ashley Cole, Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon, Peter Schmeichel, Eric Cantona, Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto'o, Luis Suárez, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Andrea Pirlo, Francesco Totti, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, Kylian Mbappé, Neymar Jr., Ronaldinho, Roberto Carlos, Kaka, and Zinedine Zidane. The charity also engages managers and administrators linked to Sir Alex Ferguson, Jürgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, José Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Antonio Conte, Mauricio Pochettino, Arsène Wenger, Graham Taylor, and Harry Redknapp to amplify messages at stadiums such as Old Trafford, Anfield, Stamford Bridge, Emirates Stadium, Etihad Stadium, Goodison Park, Villa Park, St James' Park, King Power Stadium, and White Hart Lane.

Educational Programs

Educational work targets schools, youth clubs, and community centres using resources referencing public figures, events, and cultural touchstones like Pelé, George Best, Bobby Charlton, Stanley Matthews, Jack Charlton, Javier Zanetti, Roberto Baggio, Lothar Matthäus, Paolo Maldini, Franz Beckenbauer, Garrincha, Gerd Müller, Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten, Hristo Stoichkov, Andriy Shevchenko, Kaká, Iker Casillas, Gianluigi Buffon, Petr Čech, Sergio Agüero, Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, Romelu Lukaku, Karim Benzema, Antoine Griezmann, Miroslav Klose, David Villa, Fernando Torres, Xabi Alonso, Casemiro, and Claude Makélélé. Program formats include classroom workshops, theatrical pieces, and curriculum packs designed to complement inspections and accreditation frameworks involving institutions such as the Office for Standards in Education and local education authorities across regions including Tyne and Wear, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Midlands, and West Yorkshire.

Campaigns and Partnerships

High-profile campaigns have leveraged partnerships with governing bodies and charities including FIFA, UEFA, Commonwealth Games Federation, English Football League, Scottish Professional Football League, Welsh Football League, European Commission initiatives, United Nations observances, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Stonewall, Show Racism the Red Card-adjacent grassroots groups, and media outlets such as BBC Sport, Sky Sports, The Guardian, The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, The Times, Daily Mail, The Sun, The Mirror, FourFourTwo, Planet Football, ESPN, and CBS Sports. Collaborations extended to celebrity advocates from outside football including personalities associated with David Beckham philanthropic networks, broadcasters like Gary Lineker and Ian Wright, and authors such as Malcolm Gladwell in public debates.

Impact and Reception

Reception has ranged from commendation by figures in civic life—including leaders associated with Parliament of the United Kingdom, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom offices, Mayor of London—to critical discussion in academic journals and commentary by scholars linked to universities such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, London School of Economics, University College London, University of Manchester, University of Liverpool, Newcastle University, University of Glasgow, University of Edinburgh, Cardiff University, Queen's University Belfast, University of Birmingham, University of Leeds, University of Sheffield, and University of Southampton. Evaluations cite reductions in reported incidents at selected matches, testimonials from participants who later joined organisations like Kick It Out or pursued careers at clubs including Sunderland A.F.C. and Blackburn Rovers F.C., and scrutiny from media outlets covering incidents involving players such as John Barnes and controversies involving figures like Luis Suárez and Paul Gascoigne.

Funding and Governance

Funding sources include grants and donations from trusts and foundations associated with entities like National Lottery Community Fund, Arts Council England, Comic Relief, BBC Children in Need, UEFA Foundation for Children, FIFA Foundation, corporate sponsorship from clubs and brands linked to Nike, Adidas, Puma, EA Sports, Barclays, BT Group, HSBC, Santander, and partnerships with local authorities in regions such as Tyne and Wear and Greater London. Governance involves a board and trustees with affiliations to institutions and organisations such as The FA, Professional Footballers' Association, Scottish FA, Governing Body Committees, universities, and community stakeholders from civic bodies in cities like Newcastle upon Tyne, London, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, and Bristol.

Category:Anti-racism organisations in the United Kingdom