Dutch FA launches app allowing people to anonymously report racism

The app is part of the 'Football belongs to everyone' initiative

The Dutch Football Association (KNVB) have today launched an app that allows football fans to report incidents of racism anonymously. The app was inspired by Kick It Out's equivalent in the United Kingdom. The app, called Discrimination Alert, can be used to send reports of racism in or around the football field to the KNVB. Its launch is part of the the Dutch government's 'Football belongs to everyone' initiative that involves the KNVB, Eredivisie CV, Keuken Kampioen Division and Women’s Eredivisie. The initiative was launched a year ago today after an incident in November 2019 during a match between FC Den Bosch and Excelsior. Excelsior's Ahmad Mendes Moreira was racially abused by fans in the stadium, prompting the government to allocate €14 million towards tackling discrimination in football. If a fan in attendance at a professional game uses the app to report an incident of racism, the stadium coordinator is immediately alerted, and they will then work with the stewards working at the game to identify the culprit. In amateur football, reports go to Discriminatie.nl. The KNVB receives an overview of incidents and can pass reports onto the Secretary of the Special Prosecutor for Discrimination. "We have the idea of ​​the football reporting app from England," the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport reports. "As soon as the public is again welcome at football, we hope that everyone will use the app and report discrimination and racism in football in the stands or along the line. Reporting is so much easier and that makes the investigation more effective." Eric Gudde, director of professional football at the KNVB, said: "In the event of an incident, everyone wants to it be punished quickly and severely. "In the Netherlands we have a legal system where you must be able to prove someone’s guilt before you can punish them. "That is no different in football with the disciplinary system or stadium bans. It is therefore important that a report is made so that we can intervene or start an investigation."