An Argentinian initiative to tackle discrimination in football grounds was launched at the country’s Superclásico, played between the two Buenos Aires rivals, Boca Juniors and River Plate, on 31 January.

The campaign, which promotes an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere in stadiums, was organised by the Argentinian National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism (INADI) and UNICEF Argentina, and targeted football fans, media and clubs.

“Violence and discrimination are not part of football, they are crimes and behaviours that damage the self-esteem and the lives of thousands of people”, said Andrés Franco, a representative of UNICEF Argentina.

The activities consisted of the distribution of informative material, a 10 step good practice guide for journalists when reporting football matches, and INADI’s publication on football and discrimination “La pasión en orsai”; the display of INADI-UNICEF flags on the pitch promoting inclusion; and the diffusion of a message over the tannoy system about the sanctions set by the Argentinian Football Association (AFA) for discriminatory chanting.

Before the derby between the two sides, the anti-discrimination institute met the referee of the match, German Delfino, to discuss his commitment in keeping discrimination out of the football pitch during the derby.

“We need to start looking at discrimination in stadiums as something that is not natural and that shouldn’t happen. Sport, political and institutional governing bodies need to understand that for this switch to happen we need to educate people and raise awareness on discrimination”, explained the Chief Executive of INADI, Pedro Mouratian.

The ‘No a la discriminación en el Fútbol’ (No to discrimination in football) campaign is part of INADI’s summer initiative ‘Argentina te incluye’ (Argentina includes you) and the institute’s longstanding commitment to challenge discrimination in the country.