Here it comes again: what they used to call the English problem. In Munich, England football fans are arrested for making Nazi salutes and damaging a hotel room before a Nations League tie with Germany. Before the match, manager Gareth Southgate reveals that preparing his players to take penalties is now complicated by the racist abuse they received after spotkicks were missed in the European championship final.
Against that backdrop, the idea that sport could play a leading role in dragging a reluctant world into a non-racial future may seem a ridiculous fantasy. And yet, in the two years since the murder of George Floyd, sport has taken more meaningful steps on this long and tortuous journey than any other sector of society.
This story is from the June 17, 2022 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
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This story is from the June 17, 2022 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
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