The captain of Finland's men's football team Tim Sparv has defended his team's decision to take a stand against racism before a recent international match against Wales.
"Racism is a part of our society, and that has also been reflected in football. Even though we live in the 2020s and everyone thinks we have evolved as humanity, we still have a lot to improve," Sparv tells Yle Urheilu.
The Finnish captain is well-known as a player willing to talk about topics other than what happens on the football pitch. In recent years, he has taken a stance on issues such as women in sport, US police violence and racism, as well as climate change.
Sparv has also learned that athletes' opinions on any subject other than what happens on the playing field are not to everyone's liking. The midfielder experienced it first-hand following Finland's Nations League match against Wales last September.
Before the game kicked off, both sides 'took the knee'; a symbolic show of support for the global anti-racism 'Black Lives Matter' movement. It was reportedly the first time that a Finnish national team had taken a stand against racism at a competitive international fixture.
"Repulsive comments"
Many fans of the team expressed support for the gesture, but others were not so pleased.
"It's pretty common to get nasty comments on social media. However, the quality of the feedback after the kneeling gesture did come as something of a surprise. There were "white lives matter" messages, repulsive comments ... Someone wrote that he and his companions would no longer come to watch us," Sparv recalls.
The comments and messages came mainly through the social media channels of the national team, nicknamed the Huuhkajat or Eagle-Owls, as well as via Sparv’s own accounts. The commenters and critics said they were upset that politics had been brought into sport, and they called on the players to focus on football instead.
"You hear that a lot when an athlete takes a stand. However, I do not think this is about politics, but here we are talking about human rights," Sparv says.
The midfielder, who plays for AEL in the Greek Super League, has noticed that when players talk about social issues it tends to divide supporters into two camps. However, he added that the majority of the feedback received by the national team skipper has been encouraging.
"Many people like that the Eagle-Owls took a stand. Kneeling wasn’t just my thing, the whole team stood behind it. All the players and the backroom staff wanted to oppose racism," Sparv points out.
Silence "not an option"
Finland’s captain says he began talking about social issues seven or eight years ago after realising that there are bigger issues in the world than success on the football field.
"When I was young, I was pretty selfish. I just wanted to train, focus on my own stuff, and develop as a football player. As I gained more experience, I realised that there are other interesting topics of discussion in the world too," he explains.
His views on these other topics were often greeted with negative, even very harsh, criticism. However, over the years he says he has developed a thicker skin and now enjoys discussing controversial topics, which includes listening to the opposing views of others if the tone remains respectful.
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"If someone wants to discuss and debate like an adult, it’s easy to try to find a compromise or at least to talk about the issue. We can disagree. But there are too many people who just shout and swear on social media. I can't talk to them," he says, adding that despite the criticism he receives for speaking out, silence has never been an option.
The events of recent years have shown that the Finnish captain is not the only athlete or sports star with this view, as many others around the world have given their support to movements and causes such as the anti-racist Black Lives Matter. In Belarus, more than 2,000 top athletes have joined forces to oppose the violence and human rights violations of the current regime.
Sparv says he has followed this development within the sports world with pride.
"It has been great to see how athletes like LeBron James and Megan Rapinoe have used their social status and tried to do something outside of sports as well. They are good examples for everyone," he says.
Sparv, who became a father in January, believes that everyone can do their bit to make the world a slightly better place.
"It is quite amazing what Greta Thunberg has achieved. It shows how things can be influenced by one individual," Sparv says. "We often ask what we can do in our own daily lives to create a just society. I want the Eagle-Owls to be more than just a successful football team."