“Racismo en el fútbol: fotorreportaje sobre las manifestaciones visuales de discriminación en jugadores y aficionados”

Abstract

This report presents the results of the work carried out to produce a photo essay focusing on visual manifestations of discrimination among players and fans, specifically in relation to racism in soccer. This phenomenon is addressed as a global issue, present in various soccer settings, both in high-level competitions, such as the Champions League, as well as in neighborhood games and local leagues. As a starting point, the theoretical analysis reflects on concepts such as racism, social rejection, bullying, discrimination, disrespect, and violent behavior, which allow for a deep and contextualized analysis of the proposed topic. These concepts are directly evident in the images that make up the photo essay, which function as narrative elements and social commentary. A qualitative methodology was used to carry out the fieldwork, focusing on the analysis and interpretation of visual manifestations of racism in soccer. Interviews were conducted with players, fans, and the president of the Guangopolo Parish League, supplemented by direct observations in the stadium, which confirmed the presence of discriminatory acts in the various sports venues analyzed. Among the main findings was the normalization of racist expressions justified as “jokes” or “comments among friends,” which contributes to the reproduction of rejection toward people of African descent due to physical characteristics such as skin color or hair type. In addition, it was found that the term “black” continues to be perceived negatively, associated with historical stigmas that link it to slavery and supposed conditions of inferiority compared to other social groups.