German fans favour more liberal attitudes

German football fans want to see football taking a lead on social issues, according to a YouGov poll published over the weekend.

Only 18% of German fans believe that the German Football Federation (DFB) is doing enough to combat homophobia, with 55% saying not enough is being done. Regarding racism, 40% are happy with the DFB’s stance, whilst 46% want to see more action.

FIFA and UEFA fare even worse than the DFB according to the poll, with 56% of fans saying FIFA and UEFA are not doing enough to tackle homophobia and 51% saying they are not doing enough to combat racism.

FIFA’s new Head of Media Delia Fisher said: “This survey confirms that it is essential to continue in our common struggle against all forms of discrimination and to appeal to all levels of the football community.

“FIFA is aware of its responsibility to lead the way in this regard and has for many years led the fight against racism and discrimination in sport.”

I’m not sure about leading the fight for many years, but FIFA has certainly come a long way since Sepp Blatter advocated on-the-pitch incidents of racism be settled by a post-match handshake. For that, we should all be grateful.