Anti-Semitism in Football

The most popular sport in Germany – a place where anti-Semitism and discrimination is widespread.

Football is played by millions of people in Germany, and watched by even more fans in the stadium or on screen. Football is a cultural event – but according to the author Florian Schubert, it is at the same time an area where discrimination, especially anti-Semitism, still exists. Anti-Semitic stereotypes have always been used to insult players, fans and referees from the opposing team, regardless of whether they are Jews or not.
Florian Schubert investigates the form and contexts in which anti-Semitism has appeared in football since the 1980s in West and East Germany, and how it is evaluated within the area of football. He analyses the function of anti-Semitic behaviour among fans, players and club officials – from the national team and the German Football Association to regional clubs. The final question is whether the stadium occupies a special position with regard to discriminatory behaviour, or whether it can be seen as fuel for social phenomena.