Racism is not tolerated at football team BES/De Valk from Valkenswaard. The players decided on Saturday to leave the field during a match against Vlijmense Boys. That happened after something racist was said to someone from BES/De Valk. The board says on Sunday in a statement that racism on the field is ‘deeply offensive and unacceptable’. “Racism belongs nowhere, not in society and certainly not on the football field.”
According to BES/De Valk, the racist statement took place without the referee being able to hear it. That is why the referee did not take any action during the match. It is not known what exactly was said, but for the Valkenswaard team it was serious enough to stop the match against Vlijmense Boys.
It is precisely that the racist comment was not said out loud, according to the board of BES/De Valk, is part of the problem. “The lack of tangible evidence makes the incident no less serious. On the contrary, it exposes a painful system problem: racism on the field is often subtle, difficult to prove, but deeply offensive and unacceptable.”
“The principle here is many times more important than sporting profit.”
The board is therefore unconditionally behind the player that matters. “We believe are a story and more importantly: we recognize the injustice. In this situation we are not about the match, not about points and not about the ranking,” it says. “The principle here is many times more important than sporting profit. When a player does not feel safe or respected on the field, we as a sports community collectively lose our values.”
There may be negative consequences for the decision of the team from Valkenswaard to walk away during the competition. For example, points can be taken. “If that happens, we take those consequences consciously and determined. Because if rising against racism means that we suffer sporty damage, it is a price that we pay without hesitation. BES/De Valk opts for solidarity. For justice. For respect. And we will continue to do that – every time.”