Muslims are leaving football, they think ‘what is the point?': A qualitative study on Islamophobia in grassroots football in England and Wales

Awan, Imran and Zempi, Irene (2025) Muslims are leaving football, they think ‘what is the point?': A qualitative study on Islamophobia in grassroots football in England and Wales. Journal of Sport and Social Issues. ISSN 0193-7235 (In Press)

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Abstract

This paper explores Muslim players’ experiences of Islamophobia at grassroots football. It employs Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a theoretical framework to interpret Islamophobia as a form of anti-Muslim racism in football. The paper considers the complexities of intersectionality in terms of race, religion, gender, and the ‘space’ where Islamophobia is manifested, both online and offline. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 40 British Muslim footballers, findings show that Islamophobia in football is intersectional, yet it is normalised and understood as ‘part of the game’. Participants’ race coupled with religion was also a key trigger for the hate that they received both online and offline. It will be concluded that grassroots football could be understood as a ‘racial project’ whereby Muslims are stigmatised, oppressed and excluded. To this end, grassroots football becomes a mirror of Islamophobia in wider society.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	accepted for publication in Journal of Sport and Social Issues
Dates:	Date Event 27 February 2025 Accepted
Subjects:	CAH15 - social sciences > CAH15-01 - sociology, social policy and anthropology > CAH15-01-02 - sociology CAH15 - social sciences > CAH15-01 - sociology, social policy and anthropology > CAH15-01-03 - social policy
Divisions:	Faculty of Business, Law and Social Sciences > College of Law, Social and Criminal Justice
Depositing User:	Imran Awan
Date Deposited:	19 Mar 2025 14:26
Last Modified:	19 Mar 2025 14:36
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/16239