Creating Coexistence and Resistance on Football Fields

BSIA Women’s World Cup & Global Politics Blog (2023)

Does football as a sport and football fields as a venue allow differences to come together and coexist, or does it reinforce the discrimination that exists on the streets? It is hard to provide a clear and single answer to this question. It is possible for football fields to reproduce and strengthen racism and discrimination, as well as to increase our hope for unity, solidarity, and social peace.

Football-related activities play a very important role in building social peace and making it possible for friendships to spread beyond football fields. This type of integration tool is becoming increasingly important for countries like Turkey. There is an unfortunate possibility that football fields can also be a place where racism, discrimination, and violence is produced and even experienced badly. The football field is still not an area where women can enter and run the ball as freely as men in many regions. There are still many barriers preventing women from playing football. Due to this, women face a greater number of obstacles than men. The situation can be much more difficult if you are a refugee and also a woman. There are, however, many refugee women who have overcome all these challenges and achieved incredible success.