The Trustees and Executive Committee at the Paul Canoville Foundation express our deepest disapproval of the racism exhibited by members of the Argentina international football team, whose unacceptable and discriminatory chant was shared in a video across global media and on social media this week.
We echo the sentiments expressed by our friends at Kick It Out and ShowRacismTheRedCard, standing firmly alongside—and giving our full support to—the players directly affected and others who may have seen it and feel marginalised as a result.
Our Founder, Paul Canoville, commented:
“There is no room for discrimination of any kind in our society, especially in the sport we all love.
“My personal experiences of racism and hatred are well known, but I have always said that the way forward is through education and understanding.
“Given my continued love and support for Chelsea Football Club and the involvement of one of our players in the incident, I have offered to help support any restorative process that might now take place.
“Through my Foundation, I aim to help people learn through the lens of my experiences before, during and after the abuse I received while playing football, including being able to offer forgiveness where deserved”
Our CEO, Raphael Frascogna, added:
“The Paul Canoville Foundation was founded on Paul’s inspirational story of resilience and determination in spite of the horrific discrimination and hate he endured.
“We work with children, young people and the wider community to help them understand our core values of allyship, belonging and community, which counter hatred.
“We firmly believe that through education, we can take the lessons of Paul’s story to help achieve better outcomes around equality and diversity — to make the world a better place for everyone, irrespective of our differences.
“Our Foundation says no to hate”.