In the wake of two high-profile incidents of racist abuse at football matches, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has called for more stringent penalties, including the automatic forfeiture of games for teams whose fans engage in such behavior.
The latest incident occurred during AC Milan’s away match at Udinese, where France international goalkeeper Mike Maignan walked off the pitch after hearing monkey noises from a section of the crowd. The match was eventually resumed, and Milan secured a 3-2 victory in added time.
Similarly, Coventry City midfielder Kasey Palmer reported experiencing racial abuse during a match at Sheffield Wednesday, leading to a temporary halt in the game.
Infantino described the incidents as totally abhorrent and called for harsher measures to combat racism in football. As well as the three-step process [match stopped, match re-stopped, match abandoned], we have to implement an automatic forfeit for the team whose fans have committed racism and caused the match to be abandoned, as well as worldwide stadium bans and criminal charges for racists, he stated in a FIFA post on X.
The FIFA president emphasized the need for a collective effort, starting with education in schools, to eradicate racism from football and society. FIFA and football shows full solidarity to victims of racism and any form of discrimination. Once and for all: No to racism! No to any form of discrimination!
Maignan echoed the need for change, highlighting the long-standing issue of racism in football. This shouldn’t exist in the world of football, but unfortunately for many years this is a recurrence, he told Milan TV. With all the cameras present and sanctions for these things, something must be done to change things.
Support for Maignan poured in from various quarters, including Serie A, France striker Kylian Mbappe, and former England and Arsenal striker Ian Wright, who applauded the solidarity in the Milan side and called for stronger sanctions.
However, Palmer expressed skepticism about the likelihood of significant change, noting the ongoing struggle against racism in football. Racism is a disgrace… it has no place in the world, let alone football, he wrote on X. I’ll be honest, it feels like things will never change, no matter how hard we try.
The calls for action from Infantino and other prominent figures in football highlight the urgency of addressing racism in the sport, with the hope that stiffer penalties and increased awareness can lead to a more inclusive and respectful environment for all.
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