Time to clip the wings of the Super Falcons' coach

The women's world cup has sprang a number of surprises expected from tournament football.

Japan's rise to the final, England actually playing for penalties (only to, unsurprisingly lose), Germany failing in the first round of a knockout - all unexpected delights from tournament football.

But one unnecessary and despicable action has been the behaviour of Nigerian women's football manager Eucharia Uche.

Allegations of a "witch-hunt" of lesbian players in the country, who proudly play under the banner of the Super Falcons, have been ongoing for a number of months.

It is claimed Uche uses homophobic coaching measures, even describing homosexuality as “very dirty” and “spiritually, morally very wrong”.

Yet still Fifa sits on its hands.

This is why it was positive to see a demonstration against the actions taking place in Frankfurt this week.

Leading the protest was the international gay rights pressure group www.allout.org, who are demanding an investigation into the allegations.

More than 100 activists dressed as referees in front of SV Frankfurt's Commerzbank Arena and holding up red cards reading "Homophobia No."

It was a simple action against an issue which has been overlooked for far too long.

Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell perhaps summed up the situation best.

He said: "The reported purge last year of lesbian players from the Nigerian women's football team by Nigerian soccer federation official James Peters is outrageous discrimination.

"The team's current coach has also boasted that she is attempting to remove lesbian influences from the team. These actions go against the spirit that sport should be open to everyone and that players should be judged solely on their football abilities."

He added: "Fifa's silence and inaction is collusion with homophobic prejudice and discrimination. It has failed to act against the anti-lesbian policies of the Nigerian football authorities.

"Sepp Blatter and Fifa must insist that Nigerian football officials halt their witch-hunt of lesbian players. Allowing this discrimination is unacceptable. The beautiful game is not beautiful when it tolerates prejudice."

It may be that Fifa has its eye on other matters at the minute - most notably the allegations of in-house corruption.

But, homophobia in African football is not a new thing - the rape and killing of Eudy Simelane is just one incident of many.

But how long will it be before those with the power actually use the power.

We are beyond the stage where inactivity is an option.

This is a message to all the footballing authorities - this is an issue and you should tackle it.

For more on this issue:
http://nigerianfutbol.blogspot.com/2011/07/eucharia-uche-disgrace-to-nigerian.htmlhttp://www.teamkickoffnigeria.com/forum/topics/eucharia-uche-a-disgrace-tohttp://www.womenssoccerunited.com/group/womensworldcupgermany2011/forum/topics/fifa-has-taken-tentative?xg_source=activity

Markovic fine upheld - but is it enough?

What price a bigot?

The Justin Campaign has long been critical of Vlatko Markovic, the Croatian football federation president.

Last year the 74-year-old said in an interview that a gay player wouldn't play for Croatia while he led the federation.

He added he had never met a gay player because "only healthy people play football."

It sparked outrage not only from LGBT campaigners but also from football fans.

Uefa took the decision to punish one of the most powerful men in European football with a fine of $14,500.

When you consider the vast sums of money that the Croatian FA earns in a year through a variety of sponsorship deals and international game revenue then this amount was hardly a drop in the Adriatic Sea.

But still the footballing bureaucrat, who has since been re-elected to serve a fourth four-year term, decided to appeal the fine and attempt to get it overturned.

Thankfully, Uefa has seen sense and decided to uphold the punishment.

It is pleasing to see Uefa stand up to the diplomats who help fund its organisation.

If this ban had been overturned then completely the wrong message would have been sent out to football fans across the continent.

While the fine could have been a lot more, at least it still stands and is a firm sign that such comments are not welcome from those who run the game.

For if that is the message from the top, then what hope is there for those at the bottom looking for leadership.

But could Uefa not take a stronger stance and make this man stand down?

Their view is obviously no.

Uefa seemingly took the decision that it would be overstepping the mark to remove diplomats who have been elected by contemporaries, such as Markovic.

Any decision to reverse this would have no doubt overthrown the applecart and made its life a lot more difficult in the future.

While it is very easy to oppose this view, pragmatism, it seems, is the winner in this one.

But at least the officials in Switzerland have not completely ducked the issue.

Campaigners, fans, footballing authorities, everyone must work together if we are finally to bring some justice to tackling homophobia in football.

A New No. 10 For The Justin Campaign

The Justin Campaign’s founding director, Jason Hall, was honoured to be present at the recent Prime Minister’s Reception for LGBT groups which took place at Downing Street last week.

The reception had a strong sporting theme, with high-profile sportspeople such as Gareth Thomas, Ben Cohen and Billie Jean King attending along with the great and the good from

the LGBT community. Another attendee was Justin Campaign patron and Stonewall FC legend Aslie Pitter.

Jason presented the Prime Minister with a personalised Justin Fashanu All-Stars jersey (above - Jason is in the yellow tie) while he was also photographed with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Equalities, Lynne Featherstone MP (below).

In his speech at the event, the Prime Minister admitted that the government needed to do more to encourage lesbian and gay sports people to come out.

The presence of Jason at this auspicious event was yet another truly positive step for The Justin Campaign on the road to beating homophobia in football.

For more photos, go to https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.10150243123154334.

For more information, contact alan@thejustincampaign.com.

Seaford Successfully "Tackles Homophobia"

A prime example of the grassroots side of The Justin Campaign's work was on show last Sunday in Seaford.

The “Tackle Homophobia” Day was organised by students from Seaford Head School in conjunction with the East Sussex County Council, The Justin Campaign and Brighton & Hove Albion FC, and took place at the Downs Leisure Centre, Seaford.

MP for Lewes, Norman Baker (above), and Councillor Colin Belsey from Eastbourne were present as local teams took part in a football tournament while other various activities took place.

Seaford F, junior tournament winners, receive the junior tournament trophy from County Councillor Colin Belsey (second right) and Maddie Jay, Young Mayor of Seaford (third left), with some of the event organisers. Photo: Alan Quick

Justin Campaign patron, Aslie Pitter MBE, turned out for the Justin Fashanu All-Stars in the senior tournament on a day that saw the local community, and in particular the young people of Seaford, work together to send out a clear message that homophobia in football is simply not acceptable.

To see more photos from the great day, go to https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.10150299730023126

For more information, contact alan@thejustincampaign.com.

Super Eagles' Wings Clipped By Homophobia As FIFA Watch From The Sidelines

Nigeria and France kicked off the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup on Sunday with the Europeans managing a 1-0 win over the Super Eagles. The tournament in Germany provides some of the greatest female footballers the chance to show off their skills to a global audience and hopefully, help to promote the women’s game which has all too often been ignored and treated with disdain by the mainstream media.

However, while the women’s game continues to battle sexism, statements from Nigeria’s manager, Eucharia Uche, have highlighted the dangerous homophobia which still pervades the game.

Uche previously stated that “homosexuality is a dirty thing, spiritually and morally it is very, very wrong”, while she has also mounted a campaign of ridding her squad of players thought to be gay by enlisting the services of priests to pray for her players.

It has also been reported that lesbian members of Uche’s team were dropped ahead of the 2011 Finals in Germany. Yet, so far, FIFA’s response has been extremely tepid, with a promise to “talk to her (Uche)” the sum total of their actions.

This appallingly poor response from the football world’s governing body highlights how far down on their list of priorities homophobia seems to be. If the manager of a team competing in the 2011 Finals had spoken of the problem of black players in their team, FIFA would no doubt (and obviously rightly so) have acted with the kind of authority and decisiveness necessary. However, the rights of the LGBT community continue to be viewed as less important.

Until the likes of FIFA finally start to deal with the issue of homophobia within the game (and arguably within its own corridors of power), football will continue to be riddled with this vile and needless bigotry.

A Busy Weekend In The Fight Against Prejudice In Football!

What a busy weekend we have ahead of us!

On Saturday, June 25th, the University of Sussex is holding a five-a-side tournament in aid of The Justin Campaign. The competition, which has been organised by the Students’ Union, takes place at the Falmer Sports Complex with registration scheduled for 10:30am.

A number of local LGBTQ organisations will be present to show their support while there will also be a BBQ on site along with a table football table to keep everyone fed and entertained.

Then, on Sunday, June 26th, Seaford plays host to a “Tackle Homophobia” tournament from 1pm to 3pm. Organised by students from Seaford Head School in conjunction with the East Sussex County Council, The Justin Campaign and Brighton & Hove Albion FC, the competition will take place at the Downs Leisure Centre, Seaford.

The students secured grant money to host the tournament and will be joined on the day by MP for Lewes, Norman Baker, and Councillor Colin Belsey from Eastbourne.

As well as a tournament for the young people, there will also be an adult competition involving teams from The Justin Campaign, Police, Fire Service, and Seaford Head Community College staff.

A number of professional football clubs have also featured the tournament on their website. See Torquay United’s preview here.

For more information on these fabulous events, contact alan@thejustincampaign.com.

Don't forget Women's World Cup

The following is a blogpost from Lindsay Eanet, a Justin Campaign officer based in Liverpool and massive fan of both men's and women's football.

Hey you! Yes, you! Did you know there’s a whole other World Cup that starts a week from Sunday?

Yes, the FIFA Women’s World Cup starts on June 26!

It’s a thing that is happening, and you should watch it because, like its male counterpart, it will be full of highly skilled, impassioned play that reminds you all about what ‘The Beautiful Game’ should be about.

Maybe it’s just in the US and the UK, but the lack of international media and fan attention that seems to be surrounding the Women’s World Cup (minus the Playboy spread in which members of the German national team participated) is disappointing, although thoroughly unsurprising.

Maybe it’s just bad timing, with men’s league play just ending, Euro qualifiers on the horizon and Olympic hype overwhelming all sports coverage whether we like it or not.

Or maybe it’s the systemic inequity of women’s sports, the fact that fewer resources and advertising revenue will inevitably go to the competition than the male counterpart.

Usually, when women’s football makes the headlines at all, the focus, sadly, is more on scandal and salaciousness than success and statistics.

My fellow American football fans probably remember Brandi Chastain triumphantly ripping her shirt off after her winning goal in the 1999 Women’s World Cup more than the goal or the victory themselves.

As women’s football came to the forefront during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, all eyes were on German stars Inka Grings and Linda Bresonik for their love triangle with male coach Holger Fachs as opposed to their skills on the field.

But three years have passed and progress, although small, has been made —
on the FIFA Women’s World Cup official website, Grings is being touted as one of the stars of this year’s competition and the driving force behind the home country’s squad.

And she has the stats to back it up: Grings has won the Golden Boot in the Bundesliga six times and has been named German Female Footballer of the Year three times.

Much like Mia Hamm, Sissi and Hanna Ljungberg did briefly in the years following the tournament’s inception, hopefully Grings and her contemporaries, like Brazil’s Marta and England’s Kelly Smith, can turn the focus away from the ugliness of scandal and hypersexualization and towards the beauty and magic of the game we know and love itself.

England’s first match takes place on June 27 against Mexico at 6pm CET in Wolfsburg.

For those of us who lack the luxury of digital cable, BBC Sport Online will be streaming the matches. Or, host a watch party!

Watch parties are fun, and so is supporting England’s awesome female athletes.