Racism in Czech football (1993–2023): ‘different day,same old story’

Abstract

This study examines racism in Czech football from 1993 to 2023 and the responses of non-white players to racist abuse. Applying Critical Race Theory, we analyse racism as both racial prejudice and a broader ideology of racial domination. The findings demonstrate the complexity and persistence of racism in Czech football, which has reflected deep-seated prejudices as well as recent societal crises and tensions. While racism in Czechia draws on the construction of the Czech identity as white and colonial ideologies of superiority over African people, there appears to be a higher tolerance for open expressions of racism than in the West. This tolerance has somewhat diminished over time due to the influence of anti-racist policies at the domestic and international levels. However, the increased tolerance must also be attributed to the (semi)peripheral position of Central and Eastern Europe and their struggle for a higher position within the racial and class hierarchy. Consistent with prior research, non-white players in top Czech football leagues have generally coped with racial abuse by ignoring or downplaying it to manage the emotional impact of ‘othering’, which some of them experienced for the very first time.