The home of Nottingham Forest, the City Ground, hosted a significant conference from 30 January to 1 February, addressing issues such as the fight against racism and gender inequality in European football.

The event was organized by the English club in collaboration with Harvard University, aiming to stimulate a debate and find solutions to issues that still persist in our society today: racism and gender inequality.

The conference brought together experts, Harvard professors, football players, former players, female footballers, ex-female players, and football enthusiasts to promote positive change in sports. Notable figures such as Lilian Thuram, Bex Smith, Thierry Henry, Elisabetta Spina, Christian Karembeu, Robert Pires, Olivier Dacourt, Viv Anderson, and Stan Collymore participated in the event.

These players, along with the current Nottingham Forest squad, joined prominent academics from the renowned American university to propose new ideas that will be presented to sports governing bodies and European clubs.

Representing Parma Calcio was Zé Maria, a technical collaborator in the Gialloblù youth academy since 2022 and a former player for Parma, Perugia, and Inter, who took part in the event. The Brazilian shared his experience in the three days in England:

'Perhaps we still do not fully realize how racism damages not only the victims but also the entire society in which we live, in the world of football and beyond. There is still a long way to go to completely solve this problem, but I am confident that events like this will help raise awareness towards legitimate racial and gender equity.

I remember when I was a footballer, the racist chants I heard were passed down to the next generation. The young people of that time became parents and passed racism on to their children. Back then, we all made a mistake because we should have all walked off the field. In the recent case of Udinese v AC Milan, both teams should have abandoned the match to send a strong message. Only by doing so would the federations begin to take the right measures.

Football is the only sport in the world that stopped a war, for example, Nigeria in 1969, when Pelé's Santos toured Africa. Therefore, we must never forget the power that this sport and its players possess. Unfortunately, racism, prejudice, and gender inequality continue to exist in our sport, and there is no place for them. Equality, equity, and inclusion must be the priorities if we want to feel proud about the sport we love and the societies we represent, and to build upon the inclusive future we want to be part of. Strong and decisive decisions must be made once and for all.'