One of the United Kingdom’s most popular football teams is boosting its efforts to combat anti-Semitism among the sport’s legion of fans and well beyond.
The Chelsea Football Club’s “Say No to Anti-Semitism” launched a website to provide information on the team’s efforts in the fight against hate as well as its involvement in community events, including Holocaust remembrance programs.
It will now also note educational initiatives all aimed at driving out hate in the United Kingdom.
“Since we started our ‘Say No to Anti-Semitism’ campaign, we have become convinced that education is absolute[ly] key to changing attitudes and make a difference,” said Bruce Buck, the club’s chairman. “In the next stage, we have developed this new website to make the educational resources of our campaign easily accessible for all, and hopefully, encourage more people to join this important cause.”
The initiatives began several years ago after a rise in hate-filled taunts and anti-Semitic shouts at European football matches—or soccer in the United States.
It became clear to Chelsea FC’s management and Jewish owner, Roman Abramovich—who has since made aliyah and lives in Tel Aviv—that something needed to be done. Since 2018, the team has partnered with several Jewish organizations to combat hate; created a mural featuring the images of Jewish soccer players killed in the Holocaust; and has accepted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of anti-Semitism.
