Discrimination is part of everyday life in Berlin soccer. The anti-discrimination contact point exists to counteract this. The contact point collects, documents and evaluates reports and special reports in order to offer support to those affected and to develop long-term (preventative) measures against discrimination.

An insult is a derogatory statement or action intended to hurt, humiliate or offend a person.

Discrimination, on the other hand, refers to the disadvantaging or unequal treatment of a person or group on the basis of certain supposed and unchangeable characteristics. In most cases, people are discriminated against from a (socially) privileged position because they do not or supposedly only partially meet the prevailing norm and are therefore "different": for example, in terms of their origin, skin color, religion or ideology, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, social status or other attributed discrimination characteristics. The grounds of discrimination used by the BFV for the assessment are described in §46 of the Legal and Procedural Regulations and are consistent in form with the grounds in the General Equal Treatment Act.

After a reported incident of discrimination, the contact point focuses on the person affected. Using the information available, volunteers try to contact the person concerned and have an initial discussion with the BFV about their needs. Questions about possible sports court proceedings can also be clarified here. In addition, a referral consultation can take place in order to refer the person concerned to professional counseling centers if necessary.

After the match day, the match reports in DFBnet are checked for incidents and special reports by full-time BFV employees. Special reports are specifically examined for evidence of discrimination. Incidents that meet discrimination criteria are recorded and evaluated anonymously. As soon as a special report is drawn up, an oral or written sports tribunal procedure is automatically initiated.

Every case is individual, so there is no universal recipe for dealing with it.Basically, you should recognize your own limits in the situation and the most important thing is to base your actions on the wishes of the person concerned. Listen to the person and take them seriously, clarify their wishes and needs, offer support and point out the BFV's support structures, such as the contact point and contact persons.

It is also helpful to write a memory log and report the incident to the BFV via the referees or independently, anonymously if necessary. You also have the opportunity to testify as a witness in (sports court) proceedings.

In all cases, avoid focusing on the people crossing the line and avoid victim-blaming, trivialization, concealment or protection of perpetrators by trying to find explanations for the misconduct.

If there is a stewarding service at the match you are attending, you can also speak to them. Finally, there is always the option of reporting incidents directly to the police.

The contact point primarily receives reports via special reports from referees, which is why they are usually the first point of contact through which a report reaches the BFV. However, it is also possible to report (anonymously) via the report button in the app, on the website or by email (anlaufstelle@spam.berlinerfv.de) to report an incident. Make sure to describe the incident in as much detail as possible, e.g. with the exact wording of verbal discrimination and, if applicable, with contact details of witnesses.

In cases where no referee has been appointed, you as the club have the option of reporting the incident via the match report in DFBnet before the match report is completed. Here, too, care must be taken to ensure that the incident/occurrence is reported in as much detail as possible, including precise information on the wording, course of the incident and the persons involved and available as witnesses. Alternatively, as in any other case, a report can also be made to the sports court retrospectively.

See "How can we initiate sports court proceedings?"

Once a report has been received, it is documented at the contact point and contact is made with the reporting person as quickly as possible, unless the report was anonymous. If a report is received via a special report, it is documented and discussed between the full-time and voluntary staff. Volunteers then proactively try to contact the person concerned and provide referral advice.

As a club, you are entitled to formulate a statement or report on an incident and send it to the sports court via the club chairperson or the youth management in order to initiate sports court proceedings.

Ideally, this should be done by e-mail from the club's ev postal address to the ev postal address of the sports court (bfv.sportgericht@spam.berliner-fussball.evpost.de) or from the general board email address to the SG email address (sportgericht@spam.berlinerfv.de). Here, too, the requirement applies to send the incident in as much detail as possible, including the wording and a description of the incident, as well as details of witnesses.

According to the BFV's Legal and Procedural Regulations (RVO), an appeal of the proceedings to the Association Court is permitted within 14 days of the decision being sent.

An appeal can only be lodged by the clubs involved in the proceedings, those directly affected by the decision, in particular the administrative bodies concerned and the BFV Executive Committee.

Further formal and deadline requirements and other information on an appeal are set out and can be read in paragraph C of the RVO.