“Let’s show it. Let us never be forgotten, undervalued or overlooked”
In a statement issued by the Swedish Football League this week, supporters are asked to ‘show their colours’ of the team they support on Saturday 24 April at 12:00 Central European Time whether in public, at home, at work or on social media by wearing their club’s jersey or scarf, hanging out flags and sharing their club’s colours online. This comes at a time when European football as a whole needs to do the same.
After beginning another season without supporters in stadiums, the leagues, football clubs, players and the national supporters organisation, the Swedish Football Supporters Union (SFSU), have aligned to make sure society knows that football supporters are everywhere, unified and matter.
Swedish football stakeholders had planned this initiative prior to the (not so) Super League debacle this week, but its sentiments align with how football supporters across the continent will be feeling, that we matter, we are unified and together unstoppable. This week has shown that football supporters are unified in protecting our sport against external threats. We need to show our colours.
Kaveh Sarvari, Head of B2C & Events at the Swedish Football League said ”We want to show how much football means in Sweden, and how important it is for people here… We’re proud of the Swedish (50+1) model, this is our strength. And this campaign is a great example, we do this together with the fans.”
SFSU Chair & SD Europe Board Member Sofia Bohlin stated “We’re really happy to partake in this campaign as it’s important that all the stakeholders of the game, the league and the supporters, are in this together. Since we can’t be at the stadiums we want to show our colours in our daily life instead”.
The Swedish Football league statement read “it is important that we show who we are, that we stand up for our domestic football. We are a cross-section of the population. We are men, women, children. We are old, middle-aged and young. We have different backgrounds, origins and different interests, but in the football arena we are all the same. And we are many. Nearly half of the Swedish population. And if we cannot march together to the arena, if we cannot applaud and sing our team on the pitch and if we cannot enjoy the matches from the stands, then we will at least be visible. Let’s show it. Let us never be forgotten, undervalued or overlooked.
Take a stand, show who you are! Put on the sweater or scarf, hang up the flag. Show with pride who we are. In town, at home, at work and social media. We are many. We are one.”
Sweden wants to unify to show supporters in everyday life and their support for their domestic football clubs, whilst at this time of turbulence on the continental stage, European football supporters need to take stand and show support for their football clubs too.