FIGHTING RACISM IN FOOTBALL IN SWITZERLAND
Racism is a blight on the ‘beautiful game’ throughout the world and Switzerland is no exception.
In fact, racism in football in Switzerland is an ongoing issue in the professional game and also at the grass roots level.
This has prompted significant scrutiny of how the Swiss Football Association handles allegations and incidents of racism, which range from racial abuse at grassroots matches to discrimination in sponsorships and the treatment of football players.
At the elite level, high-profile football players, such as Breel Embolo, from Cameroon, who plays for the Swiss National Team, have noted that they are praised when their teams win, but are the targets of brutal amounts of racist messages when their teams lose.
Also, Manuel Akanji, who plays for the Swiss national team has revealed that a Swiss sponsor, Volkswagen Switzerland, has opted not to renew his endorsement deal because he allegedly does not “seem Swiss enough” and does not resonate well with the company’s target audience.
The fight against discrimination on racial grounds also occurs off the field of play. For example, Granit Xhaka, who also plays for the Swiss national team has also been at the centre of controversy after alleged racist comments have been made about him by a Swiss football commentator.
Racism continues to be deeply entrenched in local and lower-league matches, in which racism frequently involves fans directing slurs or monkey noises at football players, which have, on occasions, prompted entire teams to walk off the field of play in protest.
The Swiss Football Association has faced criticism for, at times, handing out what victims and activists consider to be lenient punishments, for example, small fines and short suspensions for the racist behaviour of coaching staff, following investigations.
In fact, the Swiss Football Association can impose a wide range of penalties for incidents of racism on or off the field of play, and these include points deductions; fines ranging from Sw. Frs. 20,000 to Sw. Frs. 6 million; as well as stadium closures and tournament expulsions.
Not surprisingly, there have been widespread calls, especially also from the Swiss Players Union SAFP for more severe penalties to be imposed in Switzerland to protect the ‘beautiful game’.
On 23 March 2026, a meeting was held in Zurich between FIFA and UNODOC (the United Nations on Drugs and Crime), which was part of the FIFA Global Stand against Racism in Football. For more information on this meeting, see our earlier Post on ‘Fighting Racism in Football’.
We advise on discrimination and racism in football in Switzerland and elsewhere and further information is available from our Managing Partner, Dr Lucien Valloni, by emailing him at valloni@valloni.ch.