Fifa president Gianni Infantino sets deadline to rid football of racism after shocking rise in vile incidents
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has given football THREE MONTHS to find a way of booting racism out of the game.
The world football boss used an address to the Uefa Congress in Paris to call for a defining moment in the battle over racial discrimination.
APFifa chief Gianni Infantino has set a deadline for football to give racism the boot[/caption]
RexBirmingham City star Juninho Bacuna claimed he had been racially abused by a West Brom fan[/caption]
And Infantino has set May 17 at the Fifa Congress in Bangkok as his D-Day for football associations across the globe to get their act together.
He has demanded point deductions for teams whose games are abandoned due to racist incidents, as well as criminal charges for those who commit racism.
It follows abuse suffered by Coventry’s Kasey Palmer at Sheffield Wednesday while Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr has regularly been racially taunted.
AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan walked off the pitch after being targeted by Udinese fans in January and Brentford striker Ivan Toney was the subject of “vile harassment” online this week.
A man has also been arrested on suspicion of racially abusing Birmingham midfielder Juninho Bacuna in their 1-0 defeat at West Brom last weekend.
Infantino said: “In the last few months we have witnessed a lot of racist incidents. This is not acceptable any more.
“We have to stop this and do whatever we can to stop it. Racism is a crime. It is something terrible and we have to eradicate it.”
Fifa has a three-stage protocol, so a referee can stop a match when racist behaviour is heard from the stands.
A second incident sees a game suspended and a third means abandonment.
Infantino says combating racism is his “top priority” and wants “joined up, global action” insisting “concrete” measures were now necessary, with the FA ready to step up and take more action.
He added: “The consequences have to be a forfeit against the team responsible for the abandonment.
“We have to start criminal charges against those who act in a racist way and ban them from stadiums. But that is not enough.
“In the next three months we must work together, before the Fifa Congress in Bangkok on May 17, to come together with a strong, united resolution for the fight against racism.
“Let’s stop racism. Let’s stop it now.”
Meanwhile, a fan who racially abused Forest Green’s Jordan Garrick has been jailed for nine months.
Ryan Ferguson, 24, of Liverpool pleaded guilty to racially aggravated harassment, failing to comply with a football banning order and resisting a police constable at Rovers’ League One clash with Fleetwood in April last year.
PABrentford’s Ivan Toney was the subject of ‘vile harassment’ online this week[/caption]
RexCoventry’s Kasey Palmer suffered racist abuse at Sheffield Wednesday[/caption]
