Sometimes only shock therapy helps. That’s what they apparently thought at AIK Solna – the Swedish club combats digital bullying with a highly unusual method.
You can hardly believe your ears at first. In a video released by AIK on Monday, well-known commentator Niklas Jarelind can be heard summarising AIK’s match against Östersunds FK (3:0). But it is not the highlights, but the “lowlights” that he deals with.
Misplaced passes, weak finishes, a striker running offside – plus Jarelind’s comments, way below the belt. “He tries a bicycle kick. Idiot,” he says in one scene. But it gets considerably more violent. “Sometimes you wish your parents had never met so he wouldn’t be born,” he declares during another failed action. Or: “He is completely worthless. The team should knock him down, strip him and beat him into unconsciousness. And break his legs so he can’t walk anymore. Then we’ll finally be rid of him.” Captain Sebastian Larsson is among those referred to as.
Jarelind declared afterwards that it was “by far the most difficult football clip I have ever commented on”. This is because they are not actually his words, but are based on incident reports from AIK’s youth club and concern children of middle school age and older. “Unpleasant?” the video credits read. “Our children encounter this kind of expression online. Every day. The comments are based on messages that youth footballers have written to each other on social media. “
“Important punch in the gut “
The shock video is part of the launch of The digital locker room education initiative, which aims to overcome digital bullying among children and young people. “Even though it was a punch in the gut to say harsh words, it is important to make it clear that there are consequences that go beyond the sadness of one person at that moment. There are wounds that will remain, and that has long-term consequences for the individual and society,” Jarelind continued.
“There are probably many who get upset just hearing the words in the video,” moreover Max Bergander, Head of Values and Code of Conduct at AIK Football, explains. “But imagine they are directed at you. This happens to many children and young people every day. By recognising the problem, we have started to work for a change.”
The campaign aims to spark discussions and contribute to a healthier climate online. It has also produced a handbook of advice and discussion materials that can be downloaded for free.
