On Holocaust Memorial Day let’s commit to ridding football of antisemitism

If you have visited Stamford Bridge over the past years, you may well have spotted a 12-metre-tall mural, hanging high on the West Stand wall. Painted by the British-Israeli street artist Solomon Souza, it depicts three footballers: Julius Hirsch and Árpád Weisz, Jewish players murdered at Auschwitz, and Ron Jones, an English POW and Auschwitz survivor.

Today, on the 77th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp, the world commemorates International Holocaust Remembrance Day. We honour Hirsch, Weisz and the millions of people who were brutally murdered, alongside the millions of others targeted and killed by the Nazis and their collaborators.

Related: ‘The biggest task is to combat indifference’: Auschwitz Museum turns visitors’ eyes to current events

International Holocaust Remembrance Day is a stark reminder of where hate and antisemitism can lead if not countered. Worryingly, this year’s commemoration efforts on 27 January will take place against a backdrop of rising antisemitism and Holocaust distortion all over the world.

The world of football is not immune to this trend. Antisemitic chants can still be heard from football stands across Europe. Over the past year, incidents have been recorded of Jewish fans being abused. Nazi salutes have been used at football matches, and antisemitic slurs continue to plague football-related discussions online.

Because understanding the history of the Holocaust plays a vital role in changing attitudes, Chelsea have partnered with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) to honour the victims and survivors of the Holocaust, and to shine light upon this dark history and its impact on the world of football.

As the story of Julius Hirsch teaches