1. Challenge the individual directly
2. Report the incident to the authority or person who is charged with dealing with it. The route you pursue depends on your role in football, how confident and skilled you are at dealing with the issue and negotiating conflict, and the circumstances in which the incident occurred. If you pursue the first route, and it is not successful, you can subsequently pursue the second.
Challenging Behaviour Directly
As officials within your club or organisation you all have a responsibility to challenge racist, provocative or abusive behaviour or language.
For example:
• A club official or manager may object in their official capacity to a homophobic remark directly with the person who makes it.
• A committee member may directly challenge another committee member for mimicking disabled people or foreign nationals.
• Individuals may challenge inappropriate remarks and behaviours informally amongst the team, club or organisation members.
Challenging behaviour directly with the person or people responsible can be a daunting experience. It is even more daunting if the person you are challenging is in a senior or powerful position, or part of a dominant group which denies the behaviour is inappropriate or colludes with it. However, as with all potential abuse situations, taking action to stop the behaviour escalating is crucial.
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