GENEVA (AP) — Soccer matches marred by racial abuse, homophobic chants, and racial harassment have highlighted a pressing crisis in the sport, according to an anti-discrimination group affiliated with FIFA and UEFA, the governing bodies of international soccer.
In the past week, two men’s games were prematurely halted due to incidents of racial abuse. The United States-Mexico match was cut short due to homophobic chants from fans, while an advisor to Brazilian player Vinícius Júnior faced racial harassment from a steward at a stadium in Spain.
These alarming events have underscored the urgent need for action within the soccer community. On Monday, during matches involving New Zealand and the Ireland under-21 team, both teams refused to continue playing upon hearing racial abuse directed at them by opponents from Qatar and Kuwait, respectively. These incidents occurred just days after FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed his determination to combat discrimination in soccer.
Infantino, who met with Vinícius in Barcelona, emphasized the severity of the situation, stating, “There is no football if there is racism! So let’s halt the games.” He enlisted Vinícius to collaborate with FIFA and other players in addressing this critical issue.
Vinícius Júnior, a Black player representing Real Madrid, has unfortunately endured consistent racist abuse from fans in Spanish stadiums throughout the season. Despite these incidents, referees and soccer authorities have done little to safeguard him from such mistreatment.
The decision of the New Zealand and Ireland soccer federations to halt the exhibition games played in Austria on Monday was not explicitly linked to Infantino’s commitment. However, the intention behind their actions was evident to the Fare network, a London-based organization that has long advised FIFA on matters of discrimination in international soccer matches.
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Piara Powar, the executive director of the Fare network, expressed his thoughts on the abandoned matches, highlighting the refusal of young players to tolerate racism on the field. In a statement on Tuesday, Powar remarked, “Two international matches abandoned due to racial abuse in one evening tells us something about the way in which young players are no longer prepared to tolerate racism on the pitch.” He further emphasized the urgency of the situation, citing additional incidents such as the racial abuse suffered by a friend of Vinícius Júnior, who was subjected to a steward wielding a banana during a match where the Brazilian team took the knee. The USA vs. Mexico match was also interrupted twice and ultimately cut short by the referee due to instances of homophobia, further exemplifying the crisis football is currently facing.
At the time of reporting, FIFA had not yet responded to requests for comment. As the governing body based in Zurich, FIFA has jurisdiction over international friendlies between teams from different continental confederations, including the New Zealand-Qatar and Ireland-Kuwait games.
The New Zealand team decided to abandon the match at halftime after accusing Qatari player Yusuf Abdurisag of making a racist comment directed at defender Michael Boxall, who has Samoan heritage.
During the 40th minute of the match, a confrontation erupted between the teams, leading New Zealand captain Joe Bell to express his concerns to referee Manuel Schuttengruber. However, the referee indicated that he would not take any action against the Qatar player involved.
Football New Zealand released a statement expressing its support for the players who refused to continue playing in the second half after the referee’s inaction. Andrew Pragnell, the CEO of New Zealand Football, emphasized the significance of taking a stand against such issues that extend beyond the realm of football, stating, “We never want to see a match abandoned but some issues are bigger than football, and it is important to make a stand.”
Carlos Queiroz, the coach of the Qatar team, mentioned during the television broadcast of the match that both sets of players supported their respective teammates. He criticized the referee for not listening to the content of the exchange between the players, characterizing it as a mere argument. Queiroz further claimed that the decision to abandon the game was made without any witnesses present.
In European soccer, disciplinary cases after alleged racial abuse between players have been dropped because of a lack of witnesses.
“It’s a new chapter in football which is, for sure, something nobody can understand,” Queiroz said Monday. “This game will be under observation from FIFA, for sure.”
The Irish soccer federation said its under-21 team’s game against the Kuwait Olympic team was stopped “after a racist remark was made by a Kuwaiti player towards one of our substitutes.”
“The (federation) does not tolerate any racism towards any of our players or staff and will be reporting this serious matter to FIFA and UEFA,” the Irish soccer body said on its Twitter account.
Last Friday, Infantino committed FIFA to create a task force involving players that aims to “elaborate concrete and efficient measures to end racism in football once and for all.”
“It’s a football-related problem and we mustn’t look for excuses like: ‘It’s society’s problem, therefore, it’s fine in football.’ In the world of football, we must act in a very forceful way,” he said.
Racial abuse of players has been present in soccer for decades, and it has been 10 years since a notorious incident in Italy. Racial abuse aimed by fans at AC Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng led him to walk off the field during a friendly game. His teammates followed.
Then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter urged competition organizers worldwide to impose stronger sanctions but few have followed through.
Powar said one positive after Monday’s games was that the federations quickly and fully supported their players.
“It may be the start of a new awareness by national associations of the need to play their part to tackle discrimination,” he said.
The Qatar soccer federation posted a statement on Twitter stating just that New Zealand had withdrawn from the game which was part of its preparations for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Qatar was invited to that tournament, which starts next week in the United States and Canada.
