Racist incidents continue to overshadow soccer. Now FIFA is responding with tougher penalties.
Racist incidents in soccer will be punished more severely in the future. According to FIFA, the world governing body’s Council has approved a change to the FIFA Disciplinary Code. This means that significantly higher fines can now be imposed for racist offenses than was previously the case. Sanctions of up to five million Swiss francs (around 5.3 million euros) are possible. Previously, the maximum fine was one million Swiss francs.
In addition, players and officials are expressly encouraged to help identify perpetrators. This is intended to enable measures such as stadium bans for spectators. Disqualifications and match abandonments were already possible in the past.
FIFA can now refer cases to the CAS
All 211 member associations must now adapt their own regulations to FIFA’s disciplinary code. If national associations respond inappropriately to incidents, the world governing body can now take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Member associations are also required to apply a three-step procedure for racist offenses: In the first step, racist insults can be reported with an official gesture; the second step involves temporarily suspending play. Teams can leave the field during this step. The third and final step is to abandon the match if the insults continue or the situation cannot be de-escalated.
“We now have the legal framework to act more strongly and decisively – at FIFA level, but also in every single country around the world,” emphasized FIFA President Gianni Infantino, referring to further decisions that are to come into force in the summer.
