The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has proposed a five-pillar plan to eradicate racism.
According to the British media BBC on the morning of the 17th (Korean time), FIFA plans to present a five-pillar plan to tackle racist abuse in football at a general meeting to be held in Bangkok, Thailand. FIFA explained that it had consulted with current and former players passionate about creating a change.
FIFA’s first pillar is to request its 211 member associations to include racism as a specific offense in their disciplinary regulations. The organization argues for specific and severe sanctions, including match forfeits. The second pillar is to establish a procedure that pauses the game up to two times and can even suspend or abandon the games in cases of racism. This gives referees the power to temporarily pause, suspend, or forfeit a match.
The third pillar is to urge countries to recognize racism as a criminal offense. In countries where racism is already an offense, FIFA will push for severe sanctions. Fourth, in collaboration with schools and governments, FIFA plans to promote educational programs to ensure awareness of racism. Lastly, FIFA plans to form an anti-racism committee made up of former players to review the progress of the proposed measures.
Racial abuse, particularly targeting players, continues to plague the world of football. In January this year, spectators made monkey noises at AC Milan’s black player Mike Maignan during an Italian Serie A match. Additionally, black player Kasey Palmer of Coventry City in the English Championship (second tier) faced racial abuse during an away game. Notably, Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid in Spain’s Primera Liga has expressed his distress over repeated racial abuse.