Racist remarks aren’t confined to football stadiums. The Christian response shouldn’t be either

In recent weeks, Milan’s Mike Maignan and Coventry’s Kasey Palmer have both been subject to racist abuse during football matches. The cost can be high, but wherever it occurs, fighting racism is kingdom work, says Sam Brown

In many ways, the weekend of 20–21 January 2024 was like any other: filled with football. But sadly, two headline-hitting instances of racism make it stick in the mind. In Italy, Udinese supporters subjected Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan to a series of racist chants. Closer to home, a Sheffield Wednesday fan was captured on camera performing monkey gestures at Coventry’s Kasey Palmer. The following weekend, as Coventry and Sheffield Wednesday met again in the FA Cup, some of the Wednesday faithful were heard to be booing Palmer.

Kick It Out, an anti-discrimination charity dedicated to exterminating racism from the beautiful game, praised both Palmer and Maignan for their courage in immediately challenging the abuse they received. The sight of Palmer and Maignan’s visible distress makes for highly uncomfortable viewing – and so it should. You don’t have to be a Christian to condemn the vile actions of the Udinese and Sheffield Wednesday supporters.