Ex Minister Says UEFA’S TOUGH NEW STANCE shows up the FA and Premier League
Welcoming UEFA's new tough punishments for racial abuse, announced yesterday, former race-relations minister Andrew Stunell says it should be the spur for action by the FA and Premier Leagues.
Commenting, Andrew said -
"There is absolutely no place for racism - on or off the pitch. Unfortunately this football season alone has shown too many ugly incidents of racism within the game. Tough action has been needed for a long time, and I very much welcome UEFA's announcement.
"UEFA's move leaves the FA and the Premier League trailing behind in their efforts to tackle racism. I hope this pressure forces them into action so we can kick racism out of football forever".
UEFA set out a proposed new three-step programme on dealing with racist behaviour displayed by fans.
- The player will inform the referee of the racial abuse.
- The referee will inform the stadium officials, who will then make announcements.
- Should the abuse continue, the match will be abandoned and further sanctions will be issued.
If a player is found guilty of racism they will be suspended for at least 10 matches.
The Uefa executive committee will vote on the proposal in London in May and, if passed, the ruling could apply to all Uefa competitions from as early as July.