Share
Sports

FIFA head wants refs to end soccer games if racism persists

Share

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has called for a crackdown on racism at soccer games after several high-profile incidents, and encouraged referees to abandon matches in the worst cases.

“We will not hesitate to do everything in our power to eradicate racism, and any other form of discrimination, from football, at any level and anywhere in the world,” the head of world soccer’s governing body said in a statement on Saturday.

Infantino referred to the “three-step procedure” at tournaments, a measure that was brought in at the 2017 Confederations Cup and which allows a referee to stop a game, suspend a game and ultimately abandon a game if discriminatory behavior persists.

“FIFA urges all member associations, leagues, clubs and disciplinary bodies to adopt the same procedure, as well as a zero-tolerance approach to incidents of racism in football, and to apply harsh sanctions for any such kind of behavior,” Infantino said. “Racism has no place in football, just as it has no place in society either.”

Infantino’s intervention comes one day after Amiens’ French league game at Dijon was temporarily halted after the visiting side’s captain Prince Gouano was subjected to racist insults.

“I heard monkey noises,” said Gouano, who asked the referee to stop the game. The French league said the alleged perpetrator was subsequently identified and arrested.

FIFA says it fully supports Gouano, as well as players such as Kalidou Koulibaly, Raheem Sterling and Danny Rose, who were also subjected to racist abuse.

Tottenham defender Rose went so far as to say he was looking forward to retiring from the game in the future because of ongoing racism and a lack of action from authorities.

Rose was among England players targeted with monkey chants in Montenegro last month while playing in a European Championship qualifier.

“In recent days, it has been very sad to see a number of racist incidents in football,” Infantino said. “This is really not acceptable.”

FIFA disbanded its anti-racism task force early in Infantino’s presidency in 2016, saying it had “completely fulfilled its temporary mission.”

Later Saturday, Premier League club West Ham said it will ban any fans who were filmed chanting anti-Semitic abuse about rival Tottenham ahead of West Ham’s game at Manchester United.

West Ham said it was “disgusted” by the video circulating on Twitter.

___

Related:
Mets Sign Star Outfielder to the Largest Contract in Sports History

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/apf-Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
,
Share
The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. Their teams in over 100 countries tell the world’s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting. They provide content and services to help engage audiences worldwide, working with companies of all types, from broadcasters to brands. Photo credit: @AP on Twitter
The Associated Press was the first private sector organization in the U.S. to operate on a national scale. Over the past 170 years, they have been first to inform the world of many of history's most important moments, from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the fall of the Shah of Iran and the death of Pope John Paul.

Today, they operate in 263 locations in more than 100 countries relaying breaking news, covering war and conflict and producing enterprise reports that tell the world's stories.
Location
New York City




Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.

Conversation