Uefa beefs up racism punishment
Uefa beefs up racism punishment
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Monday, 31, Jul 2006 09:27
Uefa has introduced tougher punishments for players and clubs found guilty of racism.
European football's governing body has been criticised in the past for failing to come down hard enough on racism, with the meagre fine for Real Zaragoza after their fans racially abused Barcelona's Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto'o last season one example.
Now, players who insult on the basis of colour, race, religion or ethnicity will face bans of up to five matches, while clubs who fail to prevent supporters from racist behaviour could receive fines upwards of £19,000, stadium closures and disqualification from competitions.
"Racism is simply unacceptable and any case will not go unnoticed and be dealt with harshly by our disciplinary bodies," Giorgio Marchetti, Uefa director of professional football, said at Friday's Champions League draw.
The enhanced rules follow the precedent set by Fifa in June, who said it would ban national associations for failing to clamp down on racism.
Uefa has also introduced measures aimed at curbing diving.
Simulation blighted this summer's World Cup, with Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo and Arsenal's Thierry Henry among a number of players guilty of diving or feigning injury.
Therefore, players who are found guilty of these offences could now face a two-match ban.