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RACISM

FIFA president condemns ‘abhorrent’ racism during football match in Italy

FIFA president Gianni Infantino called for worldwide stadium bans for fans and "automatic forfeits" for teams whose supporters hurl "abhorrent" abuse following racist incidents in Italy and England on Saturday.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino pictured before the start of the Women's World Cup semi-final football match in 2023
FIFA President Gianni Infantino pictured before the start of the Women's World Cup semi-final football match in 2023. Infantino has condemned the "abhorrent" racist incidents that took place during football matches in Italy and England on 20th January 2024. (Photo by Saeed KHAN / AFP)

The head of the world governing body said there was no place for discrimination of any kind in football or broader society.

“The events that took place in Udine and Sheffield on Saturday are totally abhorrent and completely unacceptable,” he said in a statement.

“The players affected by Saturday’s events have my undivided support.”

READ ALSO: UN committee warns Italy over racist abuse in football

Fans aimed monkey chants at AC Milan and France goalkeeper Mike Maignan during Milan’s dramatic 3-2 win at Udinese, with the game temporarily halted.

Coventry midfielder Kasey Palmer accused Sheffield Wednesday fans of doing the same towards him during their English Championship clash, which his team won 2-1.

“We need all the relevant stakeholders to take action, starting with education in schools so that future generations understand that this is not part of football or society,” Infantino said.

“As well as the three-step process (match stopped, match re-stopped, match abandoned), we have to implement an automatic forfeit for the team whose fans have committed racism and caused the match to be abandoned as well as worldwide stadium bans and criminal charges for racists.

READ ALSO: Why do Italian football fans get away with racially abusing black players?

“FIFA and football shows full solidarity to victims of racism and any form of discrimination. Once and for all: No to racism! No to any form of discrimination!”

At Udinese, referee Fabio Maresca stopped play during the first half and a livid Maignan stormed down the tunnel with his teammates.

“They’re ignorant people…. You can be booed or whistled when you’re away from home, that’s normal, but what happened today has no place in football,” Maignan told Sky Sports.

Play resumed after about five minutes.

Italy, a country governed by a coalition led by the far-right Brothers of Italy party, is rife with fascist football fan groups, in particular among the hardcore “ultras” who make most of the atmosphere at stadiums.

Last week Lazio were hit with a one-match stand closure after supporters directed monkey chants at Romelu Lukaku during their team’s Italian Cup win over local rivals Roma.

In Sheffield, Palmer labelled the abuse “abhorrent and wholly unacceptable”, with the match paused as the referee spoke to both managers on the touchline.

In a statement, Sheffield Wednesday said they were “shocked and saddened by the racist gesture from the stands reported by Sky Blues player Kasey Palmer”.

“Both clubs roundly condemn any form of discrimination and abuse, and underline that there is no place for this kind of behaviour in football or our wider society,” it added.

“We will work together with the relevant authorities and anyone proven to be culpable will face the strictest possible sanctions from both Sheffield Wednesday and the law.”

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SPORT

Italy’s 1990 World Cup hero Totò Schillaci dies aged 59

Former Italy striker Totò Schillaci, most famous for being top scorer at the 1990 World Cup, died on Wednesday at the age of 59.

Italy's 1990 World Cup hero Totò Schillaci dies aged 59

Italian media reported that Schillaci died at Palermo’s Civico hospital after a battle with colon cancer.

Juventus were among Italy’s football clubs to pay tribute to Schillaci, who became an icon for his unexpected goalscoring exploits at his country’s home World Cup.

Ciao Totò,” Juventus said on social media, posting a picture of him in a black-and-white shirt.

Italy’s football federation FIGC said that all matches played in Italy between now and the end of the coming weekend would have a “minute of silence” before kick-off.

“His goal celebrations, in which his face became the symbol of collective joy, will remain forever part of Italian football heritage,” FIGC chief Gabriele Gravina said in a statement.

Schillaci played for Juventus and Inter Milan after beginning his career in the early 1980s at Messina and had moderate success in his club career.

But he became a national hero in the summer of 1990 by scoring six goals as Italy reached the semi-finals of that year’s World Cup.

Schillaci won the Golden Boot for being top scorer and won the Golden Ball as player of the tournament ahead of the likes of Lothar Matthaus and Diego Maradona, the former of whom won the tournament with West Germany.

Italy were knocked out on penalties by Argentina in the last four as Napoli legend Maradona helped knock out the host nation in front of his own fans in Naples.

Schillaci, who was capped 16 times for his country, only scored one other goal for Italy in his career.

Four years after the 1990 World Cup, he left Inter Milan for Jubilo Iwata in Japan, where he ended his career.

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