The head of international soccer’s governing body, FIFA, says that players who feel they are being racially abused by fans should send a message by stepping “out of the field.”
“I think to step out of the field, from players, would be a very strong message,” FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura told CNN Sport’s Amanda Davies.
“But I’m not in their shoes, they’re doing it to earn their living. But I think one day it will happen.”
Samoura, a native of Senegal, is the first woman and the first non-European to head-up FIFA.
According to CNN:
The 54-year-old’s comments came amid a worrying spate of racist incidents which have tarnished the sport’s reputation and put pressure on world football’s governing body to do more in the fight against all forms of discrimination.In March the England national team was subjected to racist abuse during a Euro 2020 qualifying match in Montenegro and Juventus’ teenage striker Moise Kean endured monkey chants from opposition fans last month.
“Every single incident now is taking a bigger amplitude, which is normal,” Samoura said.
“There are idiots in life. There are people who think that they want a world where everybody is the same and I think this is totally wrong.”
FIFA took action to counter the spate of racial abuse at soccer games in 2017, when they initiated “three-step” procedure which would allow referees to stop, suspend, or abandon games if fans are racially abusive.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.