After the sexist failures of his fans, Rot-Weiss needs to eat for nine days Fabienne Michel at the game in Verl to publish a statement on the incidents. The real problem is not discussed in it.
It is a high-risk game, all those responsible are correspondingly nervous in advance: Rot-Weiss Essen welcomes Hansa Rostock last Sunday (April 6th, 200.25). Shortly before the kick-off, RWE board member Alexander Rang takes the opportunity to publicly comment on the sexist incidents of the previous game at SC Verl on March 28, in conversation with the moderator of the broadcasting station.
“Rot-Weiss Essen is a highly emotional club. But we also have values and the Ruhrpott also stands for openness and against discrimination and that is why it is particularly important to us that we also want to apologize to our referee from last week, Fabienne Michel,”says rank.
RWE board member Alexander Rang
At the same time on the Homepage of the club also published a statement: “Red-Weiss Essen steps, and so it is anchored in our association statute, discriminatory or inhuman behavior”is cited in it.
There is no talk of sexism in the RWE statement
In the days before, this decisive person could not be seen. Only research on the sports show had got a reappraisal. Even now, the club does not want to comment on further details about the incidents in Verl on request. In the statement from last Sunday, rank distances from the sexist chants of some RWE fans and insured: “We will support the DFB in the best possible way in the investigation.”
However, there is no clear name of the incidents. So there is only talk of insults towards the referee, but not of sexism or verbal, sexualized violence. But that is an important difference, lawyer Christina Clemm makes it clear. “People are increasingly offended in different contexts and my perception”says the author of the book “against hatred of women”: “But in women or queer people there are often women -looking, massively degrading statements and rape threats.
Lawyer Christina Clemm
Reference to educational work
Rot-Weiss Essen, however, refers to the educational work of the association in cooperation with the “learning location of Hafenstraße”. This is aimed at students. The offered Workshops deal with the topic of “anti -racism” and “sustainability”. Sexism in football is not an issue there.
In addition, the educational work is aimed at pupils, not to the fans who shouted on the pitch in the stadium loudly rape fantasies and to whom nobody reacted. It is now different in racist incidents. A merit of fan organizations and associations that have been doing educational work here for years.
Gender -specific Violence – a problem beyond football
In the meantime, there are now also discussions in public whether, in the case of Fabienne Michel, it is a special form of insult and discrimination. It is referred to the fact that male referees regularly experience violent threats – right down to the threats of murder.
A problem in football for years that is always addressed and discussed. And that the DFB actively concerns. Both on and next to the square. One result of these efforts is the “captain regulation”, which has now been introduced nationwide.
The difference to sexist discrimination, however, is that violent and murder threats to referees are usually not screamed across the square in the choir. It does not take place in the stadium. In addition, referees can decide to report such threats in a civil law procedure and to have it pursued accordingly.
Violence against women is everyday life
However, this violence is not gender -specific. That means: referees are not threatened because they are men. It is different with referees. In the present case, collectively sexualized fantasies of violence were verbalized. This form of devaluation of women in male -dominated rooms is a problem for society as a whole. Likewise, that this form of violence does not cause direct reaction and is instead normalized.
The result is that the number of acts of violence against women has been increasing for years. Statistics show that every day in Germany, a man tries to murder his (ex) partner that every third day a woman dies through the hands of her (ex) partner.
“It is therefore important and especially important in an environment that is male dominated to consistently act against such insults and to make it clear that sexual violence is never accepted, is funny, never harmless, also not verbal”according to lawyer Christina Clemm: “If you want to promote the enthusiasm of all sexes for a sport, you have to ensure that safe spaces are created for everyone.” This also means that clubs, officials, fans and media actively behave on the subject of sexism.