FIFA's Half-Assed Commitment to Spreading a Message of Tolerance

FIFA meted out a slap on the wrist this week to the coach of the Nigerian women's team, who have since been knocked out of the Women's World Cup with one match the play. Eucharia Uche, the coach admitted to purging the Nigerian team of all its lesbian players and argued that homosexuality is "spiritually and morally wrong." Uche also commented that "the lesbians on our team were really a big problem."

Uche's comments are undoubtedly in direct opposition to FIFA's mission statement, which says that the "ultimate aim" of the women's game is "improving women's standing in society." FIFA's response was to state that they are against all forms of discrimination and that they would be talking to the coach about her comments.

This comes right off the heels of the Iranian women's team being denied the right to play soccer with head scarves on because FIFA's bylaws state that any religious or political expression is forbidden on the uniform. The decision seemed to come at an arbitrary time, seeing as the Iranian women had previously played a number of matches with the head coverings. And the FIFA-mandated forfeiture of that match resulted in virtually no chance of the women being able to qualify for the Olympics in London next year.

Of course, two years ago, when many players on the Iranian men's team wore green wristbands in support of the pro-democratic protest rallies and the party of Mir Hussein Musavi, the players were suspended by the Iranian government, but FIFA said nothing. By its rules, FIFA should have punished the team twice: once for having a political statement as part of its kit, and once for political interference in the football federation. By comparison, FIFA sanctioned the Togo Federation of Football after the government instructed it to bring home the players from the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola after several members of the team were shot in a terrorist attack on their bus in the Cabinda region.

All of this is really designed to show two things. First, FIFA clearly has a very haphazard approach to the enforcement of its rules regarding political and religious displays by teams. (Christian players also regularly cross themselves, but FIFA does not seem to have a problem with such behavior either.) Second, I wanted to demonstrate that FIFA does not have a radical commitment to free speech. (Football associations can also be punished for criticizing match officials.)

So if FIFA is really serious about weeding out intolerance, it needs to act more seriously against those who are intolerant within the game. A slap on the wrist and a stern talking-to should not be enough for a coach who has unabashedly prevented homosexual players from competing for her time. Such a coach should not be permitted the honor managing a team at a FIFA World Cup. FIFA also needs to not be intolerant itself. It must find a way to make religious obligations and the playing of the sport compatible or it itself is part of the problem of the perpetuation of intolerance.

In the end, the Nigerians' karma came back to bite them, as a German side whose starting goalie is an out bisexual knocked them out of the tournament. I very much doubt if there was hugging after the match.