The mayor of Torrejón de Ardoz, Alejandro Navarro Prieto, attended as president of the Sports Commission of the FEMP, the working session of the Decalogue against Racism to prevent and eradicate violence in sports at the emblematic flag room of the National Professional Football League (LALIGA). This working document was jointly prepared by the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) and the National Professional Football League. The event was also attended by the general secretary of the FEMP, Luis Martínez-Sicluna, and representatives of LALIGA.
Torrejón de Ardoz, March 14, 2025. The Decalogue, approved by the Sports Commission of the FEMP, includes 10 essential measures that municipalities with first and second division football teams commit to implementing. These include promoting diversity and tolerance in sports activities, collaborating with clubs and associations to ensure safe and discrimination-free environments, supporting integration programs, and creating protocols for the identification and management of hate incidents.
Additionally, the Decalogue includes the eradication of offensive messages, the organization of awareness campaigns, and continuous improvement in municipal policies to combat racism in sports. Among the actions that local entities can develop are promoting inclusive regulations, training coaches and monitors in diversity, creating safe spaces in municipal sports facilities, and collaborating with anti-racist organizations.
The event advocated for joint action between administrations, sports entities, and civil society to consolidate the values of respect, inclusion, and diversity in sports. With this Decalogue, the FEMP and LALIGA reinforce their commitment to eliminating violence in sports and consolidate cooperation between local governments and the sports sector to ensure an environment where the positive values of sports prevail.
Alejandro Navarro thanked LALIGA «for this initiative that allows us to address a reality that we have in our country and in our sports, such as violence, and with this Decalogue, cities and municipalities can contribute to tackling it in a coordinated manner to combat the discourse of hate.»
The Decalogue:
1. Promote cultural diversity and tolerance and respect for differences in all sports activities we organize, contributing to making Spanish society an example of a cohesive, inclusive, diverse, and fair society, where there is no room for racism, xenophobia, and intolerance.
2. Collaborate actively with clubs, associations, and other entities to ensure that football is developed in an environment where freedom, security, justice, and respect for human dignity are guaranteed, through the prevention of racist incidents and the identification and action when these occur.
3. Support programs and projects that promote the integration of people from different backgrounds and cultures in the sports field, facilitating access and use of sports services and activities on equal terms and without discrimination, as well as making visible people from other backgrounds and cultures who are sports references.
4. Promote an awareness plan through the implementation of educational and sports programs that promote equality and respect in any educational, social, or sports environment, ensuring that the community is aware of the municipal commitment to the fight against racism and racial discrimination in sports.
5. Establish clear protocols for the identification and management of incidents related to hate speech, ensuring a quick, effective, and proportionate response to the seriousness of the incident.
6. Firm condemnation of offensive messages: Take specific measures to eradicate and prevent the spread of messages, symbols, or slogans of a racist, xenophobic, or intolerant nature in any social, sports, or educational environment, transmitting a clear message of zero tolerance for racism.
7. Inspire events and awareness campaigns that promote awareness of the negative impact of racism and the importance of social inclusion.
8. Commitment to continuous improvement: We commit to continuous improvement in our policies and practices to ensure a sports environment free of racism and discrimination, developing local regulations that promote the fight against racism and racial discrimination in local sports, as well as carrying out training actions to increase the knowledge and capacities of local sports agents.
9. Recognize the contribution of immigrants in the economic, social, and cultural fields, favoring spaces for dialogue, interaction, and participation that help build identity and belonging to the municipality through sports, promoting organized participation of citizens.
10. Celebration of diversity: We celebrate cultural and ethnic diversity as an element that enriches sports and society, joining campaigns promoted by LALIGA.