Football Beyond Borders On Their Tour of the Balkans in 2013

There are very few cultural events that are as deeply tied to society as a football match. Whether it is in a Premier League match on a Saturday or children’s league games on a Sunday, society’s strengths and weaknesses are shown for ninety minutes on a grass pitch. During that time period, the casual observer may notice people from different ethnic, religious, and economic backgrounds working together to achieve a common goal. But they may also notice prejudice, intolerance, and fear. In a globalized society, football is a microcosm of all that is good and unfortunate about our current world.

While football has been a tool in the past to promote racism and classicism, there are those who choose to use the games as a means of promoting tolerance and social development. One such group fighting for such causes is Football Beyond Borders.

Football Beyond Borders is “an [organization] which uses the power of football to work with young people and tackle inequality, discrimination and prejudice.” Their work has taken them to places like Brazil, Egypt, and most recently the Balkans where they have used the game to build bridges between different ethnic groups and taught leadership skills that go beyond the pitch. In addition to their work abroad, Football Beyond Borders works directly in the city of London on mentoring and leadership projects for teenagers between the ages of 15-21. Their work was chronicled in the documentary Over the Wall.

On Sunday, I spoke with Jasper Kain, Founder and Director of Operations, and Dillon Chapman, Project Lead in the United States, from Football Beyond Borders and discussed their organization’s history, and the difficulty of combating the problems of racism and social inequality both on and off the pitch.

Sean Maslin: What inspired you to create Football Beyond Borders?

Jasper Kain: The idea started back in 2009 when I was attending the London School of Oriental and African Studies. This was right around the time when [Former United States President George] Bush and [Former British Prime Minister Tony] Blair were spouting their War on Terrorism. The idea of elections is that you are supposed to have governments that are meant to represent the people.  So one night in 2009 while some of my teammates [at SOAS] and I were at a pub in London, we decided that we wanted to change the perception that some might have by traveling to the Middle East and scheduling local matches against other players. So we were able to raise the money and go play against teams in Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and Iraq where we played in a United Nations [refugee] camp. The experience playing against the Iraqis was particularly interesting because we were the first British people who were not wearing military uniforms.

One of the projects that really caught my attention was the work that you did in Bosnia this year, and in particular the city of Mostar. What were some of the difficulties that you encountered when you tried to put on a match between FK Velez Mostar and HSK Zrinjski Mostar?

Kain: One of the difficulties in working in Mostar is that it is still very much a segregated city. The city itself is divided by the Nereteva River, with one side serving the Croat community and the other side the Muslim community. There is a great level of distrust still between the two groups.  We decided to work with the 12-13 year olds because we thought there we would find the greatest opportunity for cross-cultural dialogue. And you could tell between the players between FK Velez and HSK that there was at least some openness. The problem is that you still have an older generation that holds on to the same beliefs.

So do you feel that the problem of re-integration is generational? In other words, do you think the parents and older people in the area had greater difficulties in working with one another more than the kids? Do you think Bosnia and Herzegovina’s World Cup Qualification bid may improve relations in the country?

Kain: First, it is amazing that Bosnia and Herzegovina qualified for the World Cup and it is a good sign for the country’s progress. But there is still a lack of unity in the country you may see more unity among the people in Sarajevo, but even there you find some problems beneath the surface. We were in Sarajevo for one of the qualifying matches and we asked some of the kids, who were Serbian, what they thought of Bosnia and Herzegovina possibly qualifying for the World Cup they were mostly indifferent. One of our team members actually asked one of the kids what he thought of [Bosnian striker] Edin Dzeko and he actually spat on his shoe. So while it is good that they qualified, there is still much to do.

As for the generational issue, I think it definitely plays a role. Those that lived through the war still seem to be deeply affected. It is a country where you still see bullet holes in buildings and other reminders of the war. But you do get a sense that things are getting better. The one concern I have with the youth is that there is a high rate of unemployment and, as a result, there is a strong desire by many to leave Bosnia. Without their presence, the country’s social and economic development may be hindered.

You have already had the chance to go to Brazil in 2012 to work on helping the local communities of Salvador and Natal on being prepared for the World Cup. What lessons did you learn from this trip that you can help apply to your upcoming trip in 2014 in Brazil?

Kain: Out of the 12 countries that we have visited with Football Beyond Borders I think our experience in Brazil in 2012 the concept worked so well because it was so organic. Salvador and Natal both have a tight knit sense of community, and a huge passion not only for football but for working with us on improving employment in the area. We were afforded the luxury of working with a large group of volunteer organizations that were very passionate about their work.  As an organization, we used our experiences in Brazil to help build our London program.

On the basis of the people we met, and with the experiences we had, that we decided it was important to continue the work in line with next year’s World Cup. With our upcoming trip to Brazil, we would like to build off of the legacy of the previous program and hope to work on long-term employment opportunities for their citizens. Although it is great that there is excitement within the communities about the World Cup, they are concerned about the long-term effects and the benefits that will come from this tournament. You could see that with the protests over the summer.  So we are hoping to build off of our experience in 2012 by looking at the long-term situation in Brazil.

Obviously your work ties into what many football associations and FIFA do with regards to racism and international development. Have you had much contact with them?

Kain:  We have not had any direct contact with FIFA but we have some contact with professional football associations in the past. For example We have worked with Celtic F.C. and Al Ahly [Author’s Note: This is a club in Egypt] in the past and have spoken with Crystal Palace. We have primarily worked with non-for Profit, Non-Governmental Organizations as well as local colleges and universities. In the long-term, we would like to build the capacity within civil society and engage the formal bodies within the game.

What I found so interesting about your work is that while you are trying to promote racial tolerance and social justice abroad, you have not forgotten your roots in London.  As an American, I have to say that I was I shocked to hear of some of the conditions of people in London. Here in the United States the narrative seems to be that the troubles in the 1970’s and the 1980’s, which were so strongly tied to football, are now gone. Sure you would see the occasional spike in racism, but it has always been assumed that English society had gotten over these problems. Is there an attempt by British society to ignore these issues, and what role does the game of football play in confronting these problems?

Kain: London is one of the most unequal societies in the world. The top ten percentile of society earns 273 times wealthier than the bottom 10^th percentile of London. It is a system that dates back to [former  British Prime Minister Margaret] Thatcher. The trickle down economic system that is employed is flawed because wealth is not trickling down to London’s poorest citizens. Many people are moving out of the city and into the suburbs, to places like Croydon because they cannot afford to live in the city.

The Premier League is a great example of the inequalities that exist within London, and British society, as a whole. In the 1980’s football was not a popular sport in England. The problems with hooliganism and the Hillsborough incident[1] With the advent of the Premier League, English football has obviously grown in wealth and popularity. But we have not seen this wealth trickle down to the fans nor have we seen an improvement in gender or racial inequality within English Football. More and more fans are being priced out of every game. More could be done to improve the women’s game, and you see very few Asian English players or black managers.

In London, we use football as the hook to get people involved to work on the problems in London. For example, one of the major issues is homelessness. So we regularly schedule matches and tournaments to help raise funds for homelessness. We have worked with the Rio Ferdinand Foundation to talk to kids about “stop and search” procedures, crime, and other issues affecting our society.

Dillon Chapman: As an American, I was very interested in these issues when I moved to London at the age of 19. I was moving to a hotbed of football hooliganism – South East London, just minutes from Millwall’s home ground, The Den. The dynamic of this area is very interesting. On the one hand, South East London – New Cross, in my case – is extremely diverse, boasting a large Afro-Caribbean and Indian population. But on the other, it’s home to very white-centric population of English who are die hard football fans. This contrast can be seen pretty starkly on a Saturday morning at a pub like the Marquis of Granby in New Cross, where the diverse student body mixes in with the almost tribal white Millwall supporters. To see the hatred and racism in its full effect, you only need to attend the match day derby between Crystal Palace and Millwall at the Den. That being said, I believe that overall this is a fading trend. Despite groups like BNP who rally to “protect” white English culture, the cultural landscape of Britain is among the most diverse in the world. Younger generations are increasingly more exposed to people of all walks of life, and tolerance of diversity is the norm. This trend has steadily gained traction in the world of football, as younger supporters from this generation gain voice in the game. Campaigns like Kick it Out, which we have worked closely with, have done an incredible job of increasing awareness of racism in football and have made great strides to eliminate hate and prejudice on and off the field. Football Beyond Borders’ approach is similar, but we have delivered this message from the ground up, working at the grassroots level in communities in London, and all over the world.

What has been your most challenging project so far that you have put on?

Chapman: The most challenging project that for me was the London 2011 International Tournament that I led alongside Jasper Kain and Sam Bailey, both active members of FBB. This was our first project “at home”, where we brought teams from Uruguay, Turkey, Egypt, Finland and London to compete in an international football tournament. The tournament was the platform we used to gain the attention of students around the world, and in turn we were able to engage them in a range of different cultural events and workshops around London, which celebrated the diversity of the city, and helped deliver a more realistic and positive image of its culture. We successfully hosted over 100 students, providing accommodation, food, and transport. The management and successful execution of this project was a very difficult task, but we all took away incredible life experience.

Where do you see Football Beyond Borders going in the next few years? What are some of your major goals and initiatives?  Do you have any plans on doing any work within the United States?

Kain: In London, we really want to cement our roots in the city. On an organizational level, we would like to get our own office and to start fielding a full-time staff. We would also like to start working directly on the subject of football racism.

Chapman: As the first American involved in Football Beyond Borders, my personal goal is to help build a community of likeminded supporters of the Football Beyond Borders mission. I would love to utilize the growing popularity and impact that this game has in the United States to help breakdown some of the fears and prejudices that exist in our society. With such a large Latino community in the United States, the majority of which are massive soccer supporters, I believe the organization would do very well over here. It would certainly help to bridge gaps between communities here, as it has elsewhere around the world where we have worked.

I am planning on taking a 14 man team down to Brazil for our next major project in 2014. I have several interested parties right now, but there is still room in the group for anyone who is interested. Ideally I would like to bring individuals with a soccer background – who are interested in social, cultural and political issues – from a range of locations in the United States. I believe a well-balanced group coming from very different locations within the United States, would be in its own way a great thing for the individuals, and for those who we meet on the project. I think this way, upon our return to the United States, I would have people spread out across the United States who have experience working with our organization who could then spread the message widely across the country. This, I believe, would be the best way to springboard a Football Beyond Borders organization in the United States that could go on to do great work across the country.

How can the general public help you with your work?

Chapman: I think the general public would be able to help best by putting together diverse teams to compete in local matches or tournaments wearing the badge of Football Beyond Borders to help build awareness of our case. Football is everyone’s game. Building a community of Football Beyond Borders ambassadors to tackle inequality, discrimination, and prejudice through community events is a great way to support our cause. We have always strived to use football as the vehicle to build that initial link between different people, and worked to create lasting communities through youth workshops, training and mentoring programs, and cultural events. Anyone can share in this mission.

For more information on how to get involved, you can visit the website at www.footballbeyondborders.com.

I think one of the things that I like about books as opposed to tablets is that you can tell the journey that the book has been on. Rough edges, stained covers, and dog-eared pages are all signs of character that either the book has been well-traveled and loved by someone else. There is even the rare occasion that the content of the book matches the journey it took to get into your possession. People generally don’t trade tablets.

I found it ironic that my copy of Franklin Foer’s “How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization” came to me from my friends Kelly and Andy, who are currently serving in the Peace Corps in Burkina Faso. The irony of this is that this simple act of kindness in giving me a book on globalization is an exact example of globalization. The ability to share ideas and gain knowledge from a wide variety of groups and cultures is a benefit to both the soccer community and society as a whole. Likewise, this book provides an excellent opportunity for someone who is a new fan of the game to understand the culture and norms of some of soccer’s most fascinating groups.

First written in 2004, Foer’s book comes at the precipice of globalization of football. At the beginning of the book he remarks that, “During my childhood, public television would irregularly rebroadcast matches fro, Germany and Italy at televangelist hours on Sunday mornings. These measly offerings would have to carry you through the four years between World Cups.” But with the expansion of internet capabilities and Television channels like Fox Sports World, soccer slowly began to make its way across the pond and enter the American consciousness.

Having grown up during this time period, I can fondly remember getting off of the bus and running home to watch the last 20 minutes of a Champions League match. There was not much available in the 1990s for soccer coverage and the game really only gained its footing after it was practical to watch games from your computer. As someone who has always been interested in both soccer and international relations, I always enjoy watching a match and hearing of stories of players born in places like Senegal, Trinidad and Tobago, and South Korea. It is one of the reasons why I chose a career in soccer journalism, to understand the world through the prism of a rectangular field where people try to score goals.

It’ s  fascinating to think that in the ten years since this book was written how far society and soccer have both come. Bear in mind, in 2004 there was not Twitter or YouTube and Facebook was beginning to be built. Not every person had a cellphone and many people still had dialup internet connections.  But the world was flattening. Information that would take days to accrue could now be done within hours. I can tell you as a college student at the time it was much easier for me to write a paper or watch a soccer match from my computer than it was for a student who graduated just two or three years earlier.

From a fan and from a player management perspective, football benefits greatly from societies advances. Teams are now able to scout and recruit players from all parts of the globe and assess a player’s true ability off of hundreds of matches online and on television. This new access has also benefited fans as well and expanded the reach of not only Europe’s top leagues but also leagues in Brazil, Argentina, China, Japan, and even Major League Soccer. Teams are no longer just confined to their local district. They are brands that can sell jersey’s and merchandise to fans in London, Tokyo, Beijing and New Delhi.

One of the interesting things about this book is how Foer goes into detail about some of the different regions of the world and how soccer affects their culture. Part of the awakening that the American audience is now receiving due to this great game is how intertwined soccer and politics/society can be. He begins his book by talking about the Eternal Derby between Partizan Belgrade and Red Star Belgrade. Pulling no punches, he is able to work through the nuances of the various civil conflicts in the region and how deep seated tension and resentment can be filtered through to the football pitch. There are very few things as jarring as watching grown adults light a stadium on fire, but the thought of someone using acid to pour on another person’s face is close to it.

Racism is a very important subject of the book, but it seems like the author tries to give some explanation to this attitude. In particular, I found the chapter on the Chelsea Headhunters to be the most captivating. Foer is able to take the story of Alan Garrison, a Jewish anti-Semite and member of the Headhunters, and turn it into a critique of globalization. Chelsea Football Club in the 1980’s was considered to be one of the worst clubs for their hooligan behavior and racist taunting. Yet if you look at it now it is considered to be one of the model franchises in the English Premier League. Why is this? Because Chelsea has grown beyond Stamford Bridge and the Headhunters and has expanded to places like India, Nigeria, China, and of course the United States.

Globalization has undoubtedly lessened the influence of hooliganism in English football. But it has also seemed to kill some of the passion within the local fanbases. While teams may be able to sell jersey’s in places like the China, Japan, and the United States fans are being priced out of matches and games are lacking the usual fire and passion that they once did. As Foer goes on to state, “When I attended a game at the Stamford Bridge…Chelsea looked like the audience at a symphony with only a few beefy guys muttering obscenities. They studiously kept their vulgarities to themselves, so that police scanning the crowd with handheld cameras see nothing and have no basis for depriving them their tickets.”

Foer also raises an interesting point about Iran and how soccer can be the true force to create political and social change in the country. Whenever I hear about soccer being used to remove people from power, I think of the Iranian national team members who 2-3 years ago wore green wristbands in support of the Iranian people protesting in Tehran. But I also think about the match in Egypt 2-3 years ago where supporters of Al-Ahly and Al-Masry fought one another during a match that not only led to 75 people being killed, but set off the Egyptian civil war. Football matches can be great places for people to share their feelings with the world. But as Foer himself pointed out earlier in the book, they can also be places where racism, classicism, and religious intolerance can be given a voice. People often say things in a crowd that they often would not say by themselves, so I am not sure if a football pitch is the best place to start a revolution.

It is interesting to read this book ten years after it was first published and to see how football has developed along with society. While the game has certainly expanded, economically and from a performance perspective, the social issues outlined in this book still exist. There is still a very large problem with racism in football, and the plight of African footballers outlined by Lviv footballer Edward Anyamkyegh still exists. And of course Brazil is still struggling to produce the 2014 World Cup with a corrupt Football Association.

The one area that I felt the book lacked in was explaining the impact of exporting all of these matches from abroad to the various smaller countries. While it is great that players in developing nations are now being exposed to quality product from Europe, there is often very little impact on the domestic product. For example, in the United States and you ask a soccer fan what team they support they will often say Bayern Munich, Manchester United, F.C. Barcelona, or any number of the major teams. But how often do they say the Philadelphia Union or D.C. United? Not very often.

Globalization can be good because it gives the world the products that they want. Things like Coca-Cola, McDonalds, or F.C. Barcelona can now be packaged and served to audiences all throughout the world. They aren’t companies, but brands. McDonalds is not interested in creating the best hamburger in the world, but rather the best company that makes hamburgers. Likewise, when F.C. Barcelona opens an academy or creates a partnership with a local develop in let’s say India, they are not interested in developing young players in India. Here in the United States, Major League Soccer has seen what can happen when a foreign team invests in their product. It is called Chivas U.S.A.

Although there have been many books that have tied social commentary to the game of football, none have done so with the touch that Franklin Foer does with this book. When talking about a subject like globalization and soccer, it is very difficult to avoid taking one side or the other. Rather than taking a position on any particular subject, Foer explains each example in the book with careful detail and precise arguments. It is a fascinating that shows how far this game has come in recent history and what might be in store for it as our world becomes smaller.

I try to imagine these last few days before his final match as he drives into Old Trafford past his own statue and that of Sir Matt Busby. The Routine. 6:50 a.m. every morning. As regular and reliable as clockwork. I think it’s going to be a lot harder on him than us. And the temptation to be be like Sir Matt in dealing with McGuinness and O’Farrell. You can talk all the talk all you want about “my door is always open,” but all the well-meaning rhetoric in the world more often than not clashes with the reality of that old cliché that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Indeed, Mr. Moyes may leave his door wide open, but that doesn’t sincerely mean that he wants a visit from the Gaffer. So what will He do? Married to a job for that long and so bloody good at it. What will He do?

My cousin in Glasgow has already messaged me predicting the imminent resignation of wee Gordon Strachan. One last campaign looms, he insists, where, like William Wallace, the old general reunites the clans and having failed to qualify for the World Cup tournament in Brazil, leads his national team to glory in Qatar at 80 years-of-age. Nice idea if you’ve got the horses, of course, but I fear Scotland barely has the carts these days. Sad!

I think the picture of Sir Alex Ferguson that I want to keep in my head is the one of his sadness after losing to Real Madrid at Old Trafford in March. Never mind the ref being bent, or the lads desire disintegrating almost instantaneously after Luka Modric’s fabulous equalizer. What I see now in armchair retrospect is the disappointed loss of a defeated gambler, one who already knew that this was his very last game ever in European competition and that he’d have to settle for only winning it twice.

Goodbye Gaffer, but not farewell. Work on your golf swing and your French. Buy some more gee-gees! Count your dosh and then make some more. I’m going to miss you! And for the Haters. Those who didn’t like him because of his success or because he didn’t tolerate fools or maybe because he wasn’t the world’s nicest person or any of a thousand other reasons… You’re going to miss him! Indeed, I think you have no clue at all as to just how much youre going to miss him.