Malta FA hosts Living Lab to discuss radical behaviour in sports

Event part of international project called FAIRER

Stakeholders from the sport and public sectors came together to take part in a Living Lab, hosted by the Football Social Responsibility Department within the Malta Football Association and the Inhobb il-Futbol Foundation last week.

The FAIRER project intends to address radicalisation through sport, particularly football, by developing, testing and validating guidelines for football stakeholders aimed at preventing youth radicalisation.

The Malta FA is one of the main partners along with the national football associations of Latvia, Northern Ireland and Romania, while the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia is the project’s academic partner.

Football Against Radical Behaviour was the main theme of the discussion hosted by the Malta FA as participants explored the extent of radicalisation in Maltese football and effective ways to prevent it, focusing on intolerance, racism, prejudice and discrimination.

All the participants made an active contribution to a very fruitful and constructive discussion which was chaired by Peter Busuttil, from the Malta FA FSR department. The Living Lab was split into three parts in line with the project guidelines.

During the Knowledge Phase stakeholders assessed the local situation with regard to radicalisation issues in sports, especially football, sharing knowledge and insights in the process.

The discussion then moved to the Prevention Phase where it was emphasised the prevention aspect, focusing on the target audiences and the steps organisations could take to address issues related to radical behaviours, including racism, discrimination, intolerance and prejudice.

Finally, the stakeholders discussed the Action Phase.

Methodology

This entails the identification of potential issues during the implementation phase, the role of the supporters, the timeline of the campaign and how the stakeholders can collaborate to raise awareness and promote a culture of active engagement against radicalisation.

FAIRER, which is co-financed by the European Union through the Erasmus+ programme and is also supported by UEFA, has a duration of 36 months and will provide a methodology which will be freely accessible to all European citizens and also beyond Europe.

The following stakeholders contributed to the Living Lab organised by the Malta FA last weekend. Football Social Responsibility Department – Malta FA, Malta Police Force, Malta Football Players Association, Youth Football Association, Malta Sports Journalists’ Association, South End Core, AWAS – Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers, Sports Media and a women’s national team player.