Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure believes that racist fans need to be threatened with "radical sanctions" as Fifa steps ...
Manchester City midfielder
Yaya Toure believes that
racist fans need to be
threatened with "radical
sanctions" as Fifa steps up its
anti-discrimination drive
ahead of the 2018 World Cup
in Russia.
The Ivorian, who was the victim of monkey chants
while playing in Russia against CSKA Moscow in the
Champions League in 2013, says that it is time for
something serious to be done to rid the game of
unwanted behaviour on the terraces.
"Racism is a big problem now – it is a problem in our
society in general – and we need to show them they
need to change, otherwise there will be a radical
sanction," Toure insisted at the launch of Fifa's Anti-
Discrimination Monitoring System at Wembley
Stadium in London.
Toure has previously suggested that black players
could boycott countries in which racist behaviour is
reported and, although he claimed that that had been
said amidst "confusion and anger" in the heat of the
moment, he has pushed Fifa to step up its fight
against racism across the world.
"Uefa has been doing things for 20 years now but it
cannot solve the problem itself," he remarked. "I
think Fifa needs to work with the campaigners, the
players and the media to resolve this. We are all
people who care about this.
"As an African, you can imagine how difficult it is to
deal with this. In the past I've played in Russia and I
have spoken of this with friends who play in Russia
and Ukraine. We all say the same.
Something needs
to change and the ultimate sanctions should be given
if it goes on."
The new Fifa system will see match observers report
back on fan behaviour at all 900-plus qualifiers for
the 2018 tournament, with the world governing body
ruling on any issues within as little as 24 hours.
Sanctions could range from playing games behind
closed doors to banning associations from World
Cup qualification.
But Federico Addiechi, Fifa's Head of Sustainability,
insists that he believes in Russia to deliver a fantastic
World Cup despite its own chequered history with
racism – including what he calls "alarming reports"
about racism in Russian domestic football.
He declared: "The rights for the World Cup were
given to Russia unconditionally in the respect that
they deliver what we expect from a World Cup in
terms of the organisation of the event itself.
"There is not just a discrimination issue in Russia -
that was also the case in the past in Brazil and in
South Africa, and there is in terms of Qatar in 2022.
"We have faith in the Russian authorities to give the
best possible effort to deliver a safe, comfortable
environment in the country.
"The situation in Russian football can be compared
with situations in other parts of the world. We as Fifa
can provide additional support to member
associations which can help to force a positive
trend."
