Multiple players have had their bodies compared to men in recent years. Barbra Banda was the target of an aggressively racist and transphobic internet tirade following her deserved BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year win. Rather than the announcement being met with congratulations, the majority of people found it more important to question her womanhood as a way to discredit her achievements.
Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga are two of the best players to come out of Africa in recent years. There is no denying their talent and skill on the pitch, but there are always those that can’t help but try. Tabitha has shared stories of her early playing days and repeatedly having to undress to prove that she was a girl – a humiliation and violation of privacy that nobody should have to endure, let alone a child. Temwa has made a name for herself as one of the most prolific strikers in the game, but people would much rather focus on her body than her football skills.
At the end of the day, these are professional athletes. With that comes years of conditioning, exercise and strength training to ensure they remain at the top of their game, but that knowledge seems to fly out of the window where Black women are concerned. Instead of seeing them as the elite athletes they are, some people have accused them of being men, asking how it’s fair for these players to go up against other women each week.
White and lighter-skinned Black players are very rarely faced with these allegations. When white players face abuse, they are wholly supported. When it’s a Black player experiencing racism, suddenly the situation is nuanced with people struggling to pick sides and express full support. Suddenly clubs, leagues, federations and players lose the ability to speak up for their peers.
The inability to wholeheartedly call out racist abuse is stifling any progress women’s football can make towards creating a safe environment for Black women. Across the sport’s biggest leagues, the pitches and the stands are still predominantly white. The lacklustre attempts at condemning racism from clubs and leagues are not helping to change that. Taking a knee before WSL matches and vaguely calling out racist abuse with no consequences or sanctions is simply not enough. How many more players have to suffer before real changes are made to protect them?
Football sparks joy for everyone involved – fans, players and managers alike. When that joy is threatened by people who feel emboldened by faceless profiles and cryptic usernames, it can’t be tolerated. Misogynoir runs rife in football, and it has only gotten worse in recent years. People always go on about getting more young girls into football, but when young Black girls see the way women that look like them are treated, why would they want to subject themselves to that kind of abuse? This isn’t a problem that is specific to one player, one league, or one country. Misogynoir is just as global as football, and though there are centuries of prejudice to unlearn before things start to change for the better, change must start now.