FIFA Fined Russia For Racially Abusing French Players
- FIFA has fined the Russian soccer for racially abusing French players
- FIFA says the Org. has conducted a "thorough investigation"
- UEFA will judge a charge of racist chanting by Zenit fans during a game against Leipzi
FIFA fined the Russian soccer federation on Tuesday, after racially abusing black players during a Russia v France friendly match in March. FIFA has fined $30,000 (Swiss francs £22k) over the incident.
The fans were yelling monkey chants which were so loud that viewers could hear the racism on the TV broadcast. Monkey chants were targeted to black players, including Paul Pogba, one of the best players.
It got really bad when Pogba scored a goal during France's 3-1 win during the match on March 27 at a marquee stadium.
FIFA said its disciplinary panel noted “the gravity of the incident but also the limited number of fans involved.”
FIFA says the Org. has conducted a "thorough investigation" which included obtaining video evidence and determined there was only a "limited number of fans involved."
Russia will play its first group stage match with Saudi Arabia on 14th June. The host nation will also be playing against Egypt and Uruguay.
The stadium in St. Petersburg was the showpiece venue of the 2017 Confederations Cup warm-up tournament. It will soon host World Cup group-stage games involving Brazil, Morocco and Nigeria, and later a semifinal match.
London-based Kick It Out said it had “little confidence that FIFA can effectively deal with potential incidents of racism during this summer’s World Cup and protect those black players, staff and supporters who will be in attendance.”
According to FIFA, a disciplinary panel chaired by Anin Yeboah, a Supreme Court judge from Ghana had made a “thorough investigation including the review of video evidence.”
The federation was fined for racial incidents involving fans at the past two European Championships. The case follows racism charges by European soccer body UEFA against Zenit St. Petersburg in two Europa League games this season.
UEFA will judge a charge of racist chanting by Zenit fans during a game against Leipzig on 31st May, two weeks before Russia kicks off the World Cup against Saudi Arabia in Moscow on June 14.
Monitors from anti-discrimination group Fare said the chants mocked an injured black player for the German club.
At the tournament, FIFA will be working with Fare experts for the first time at a World Cup.
"FIFA has also introduced a three-step procedure in case of discriminatory incidents, which allows referees to actively intervene to make the discriminatory behavior stop," the governing body said.
"FIFA calls on all fans to come to the stadiums in a spirit of unity, peace, and friendship."