AFC Wimbledon joins Football Fans against Homophobia campaign
AFC Wimbledon has become the first football club in Britain to join the Football Fans against Homophobia campaign, which aims to take a stand against discrimination in football.
The second league club announced it had joined the campaign on Thursday. It will display a banner for the campaign at its game, and at its pre-match warm up, Wimbledon players will also wear t-shirts in support.
A statement on the club’s website read: “AFC Wimbledon is an inclusive club where everyone is welcome, regardless of their background. Discrimination of any kind has no place on the terraces, on the pitch or in the dressing room. We are therefore lending our support to the campaign, and Saturday’s home match against Accrington Stanley is dedicated to the fight against homophobia. The club’s management and players urge supporters to help create a positive and inclusive atmosphere at The Cherry Red Records Stadium.”
The campaign was founded in Berlin in 2011, and has gained increasing support, with its banner being displayed at over 50 clubs across Germany.
Since 2013, an English version of the banner has been travelling around Europe, and has been displayed in Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Norway and the Netherlands. Saturday’s match is the first time the banner will have been displayed at an English football club.
AFC Wimbledon is to support the campaign in conjunction with the FARE network, an umbrella organisation of football supporters, community groups, ethnic minority groups, clubs and NGOs, which are all committed to fighting discrimination and working towards social inclusion in football. The network is active in 44 countries and works on all levels of the game.