MX23RW : Tuesday, November 5 23:12:30| >> :60:213:213:

Chelsea chief insists fighting discrimination is "in our DNA"

Chelsea chief insists fighting discrimination is
© Reuters
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will fund an extended programme in Israel that brings Jewish and Arab children together in football coaching sessions.

Bruce Buck has declared Chelsea's fight against discrimination as "in our DNA" as the Blues step up their latest Say No To Anti-Semitism initiative.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will fund an extended programme in Israel that brings Jewish and Arab children together in football coaching sessions.

The expanded Playing Fair, Leading Peace programme will break down barriers and combat discrimination by mixing communities in Israel.

Chairman Buck hailed Chelsea's latest steps to counter anti-Semitism, racism and discrimination – and insisted the three and a half years of club campaigns have altered the west Londoners' attitudes forever.

"Fighting discrimination and anti-Semitism is in our DNA now," Buck told the PA news agency.

"And we don't see any end in sight for stopping these programmes, we're just going to keep going on and on, and hopefully we'll keep making a difference.

"We've seen just this week what happened post the England game and that is unacceptable.

"And football clubs are in a special position to be able to do things about it through the power of football, and we and other clubs will do that and want to do that.

"Our No To Hate and Say No To Anti-Semitism campaigns are worldwide programmes.

"From our perspective and from the perspective of the people that work directly on these programmes, hopefully we leave an imprint everywhere we go."

Chelsea have no plans to relent on their fight against discrimination, approaching four years since the launch of their Say No To Anti-Semitism campaign.

Buck will speak at the Global Forum For Combating Anti-Semitism this week, having been asked to describe the "Chelsea model" of taking a stand against discrimination and abuse.

Revealing the club's pride at the long-running stance being lauded internationally, Buck also expanded on the new work in Israel.

The Chelsea Foundation, the Peres Centre for Peace and Innovation and the Israeli Football Association have combined to extend the Playing Fair, Leading Peace programme.

More than 1,000 Arab and Jewish children each year will be brought together through football, with Chelsea funding the expanded set-up and club staff training local coaches.

Manchester City v Chelsea – UEFA Champions League – Final – Estadio do Dragao
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, pictured, has been integral to the club's long-running work against hate and discrimination (Adam Davy/PA)

"This also brings into play the experience we have of coaching, and coaching young people," Buck said.

"Part of this project is where our coaches train the trainers, so we leverage our ability.

"We train trainers and then they work with the youngsters.

"And I think we all know that education is the key to solving some of the discrimination problems we have in this world.

"We say we're leveraging football, but we're actually leveraging the leveraging of football.

Frank Lampard Unveiling – Stamford Bridge
Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia, left, and chairman Bruce Buck, right, have been pivotal to the club's fight against racism and discrimination (Yui Mok/PA)

"Hating people does not come naturally, it's something learned over time.

"And to the extent we can do things to change that learning process and educate people not to hate, then it's a win-win for everybody.

"It's always been one of our objectives to encourage other football clubs and football institutions to get involved also.

"We're not trying to be out there by ourselves, we want others to get involved in all this.

"If we're contacted by clubs, which we regularly are, then we provide all the insight we can to help them move forward with their own programmes."

ID:455111: cacheID:455111:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:8795:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Italy midfielder Jorginho in action against Belgium at Euro 2020 on July 2, 2021
Read Next:
Jorginho agent opens door to possible Chelsea exit
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!