Yolanda Diaz, leader of the Sumar party in Spain. (photo @diaz_yolanda, Instagram)
Yolanda Díaz, leader of the political party Sumar, has urged the Spanish government to analyse the correlation between football matches and an increase in domestic violence during celebrations.
“There is a link between misogynistic violence and football” claims the Sumar leader, Yolanda Diaz
The Sumar party are linking football with a surge in misogynistic violence. “The UEFA Euro final was a major social event — a shared ritual in an era of individualism, and an opportunity to leverage the prestige of players to combat hate and racism. However, we must remain cautious as the defence of human rights should be universal, not just when the individual involved is successful, wealthy, or likeable. These celebrations also mask a greater incidence of violence against women,” the Sumar party stated in a formal request to Congress.
UK statistics support the Sumar party’s claims
There is no statistical evidence in Spain to support Diaz’s claims, but the Sumar party quoted certain English newspapers to substantiate their views, which made reports that during major men’s football events, gender-based violence increased by 26% if the national team won and by 38% if they lost. These figures increased if the match happened on the weekend.
UK charities warn against the rise of domestic abuse cases during football matches
In June of this year, just before the Euro 2024, several NGOs and women’s groups such as Women’s Aid UK and Safe YOU warned about the rise of domestic abuse cases during the football tournaments. A UK charity-based helpline received a 20 per cent increase in calls during Euro 2024 matches from women who had suffered domestic violence from their partner or spouse.
University of Lancaster publish findings regarding domestic abuse and football
The University of Lancaster published a report stating that data from the Lancashire police constabulary showed an average of 79.3 domestic violence incidents on the days England played, compared to 58.2 on the days England did not play. The findings stated that alcohol played a big factor in the episodes of abuse which was not helped by early kick-offs.
Diaz is calling for more resources to support women
Yolanda Diaz is calling on the government to gather data from autonomous communities to discover if there is an increase in violent behaviour from men during football matches. She’s asking that additional resources should be offered to women during men’s football celebrations when the likelihood of domestic violence can increase.
