LONDON – Fifa president Gianni Infantino called for worldwide stadium bans for fans and “automatic forfeits” for teams whose supporters hurl “abhorrent” abuse following racist incidents in Italy and England on Jan 20.
The head of football’s world governing body said there was no place for discrimination of any kind in football or broader society.
“The events that took place in Udine and Sheffield on Saturday are totally abhorrent and completely unacceptable. The players affected by Saturday’s events have my undivided support,” he said in a statement.
Fans aimed monkey chants at AC Milan and France goalkeeper Mike Maignan during Milan’s dramatic 3-2 win at Udinese, with the game temporarily halted.
Coventry midfielder Kasey Palmer accused Sheffield Wednesday fans of doing the same towards him during their English Championship clash, which his team won 2-1.
“We need all the relevant stakeholders to take action, starting with education in schools so that future generations understand that this is not part of football or society,” Infantino said.
“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.
“Fifa and football show full solidarity to victims of racism and any form of discrimination. Once and for all: No to racism! No to any form of discrimination!”
At Udinese, referee Fabio Maresca stopped play during the first half and a livid Maignan stormed down the tunnel with his teammates.
“They’re ignorant people... You can be booed or whistled when you’re away from home, that’s normal, but what happened today has no place in football,” Maignan told Sky Sports.
“We cannot play football like this. It is not the first time it has happened this way. They must hand out very strong sanctions, because talking no longer does anything.
“We have to say that what they are doing is wrong. It is not the whole crowd; most fans want to cheer on their team and jeer you, that’s normal, but not this.”
Play resumed after about five minutes.
In describing the events that led to him leaving the field, Maignan said that in the first half, he heard monkey noises.
“The second time I went to get the ball, I heard it again. I told the fourth official and my bench what happened.
“I was angry, because this isn’t the first time it has happened. I did not want to play, but we are a family and I could not leave my teammates like that.”
Italy, a country governed by a coalition led by the far-right Brothers of Italy party, is rife with fascist football fan groups, in particular among the hardcore “ultras” who make most of the atmosphere at stadiums.
Recently, Lazio were hit with a one-match stand closure after supporters directed monkey chants at Romelu Lukaku during their team’s Italian Cup win over local rivals Roma.
In Sheffield, Palmer labelled the abuse “abhorrent and wholly unacceptable”, with the match paused as the referee spoke to both managers on the touchline.
In a statement, Wednesday said they were “shocked and saddened by the racist gesture from the stands reported by Sky Blues player Kasey Palmer”.
“Both clubs roundly condemn any form of discrimination and abuse, and underline that there is no place for this kind of behaviour in football or our wider society,” it added.
“We will work together with the relevant authorities and anyone proven to be culpable will face the strictest possible sanctions from both Sheffield Wednesday and the law.”
After the game, Palmer posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Disappointed to even have to come on here and write this. Racism is a disgrace... it has no place in the world, let alone football.
“I’m black and proud, and I am raising my three kids to be the exact same. I’ll be honest, it feels like things will never change, no matter how hard we try.
“Couple fans doing monkey chants don’t define a fan base – I appreciate all the love and support I’ve received.” AFP, REUTERS
