In an effort to tackle abuse of players, including racism, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin today said that soccer bodies and clubs could push for criminal prosecutions.
“Maybe it is time to go with harsher measures. Maybe it is time to put some people in court,” Ceferin said in his keynote speech at the UEFA Congress ahead of his unopposed re-election as president.
Ceferin, a Slovenian lawyer, said soccer “is an inclusive sport” which is open to everyone.
“Unfortunately, some people have still not grasped this concept, which is why we’re going to have to rethink our approach,” Ceferin said. “In cooperation with the federations and the clubs we would need to target offenders more effectively whenever a player is subjected to racist insults during UEFA competitions.”
UEFA disciplinary rules hold clubs and national federations responsible for racist and offensive conduct by their fans at European competition games.
Sanctions for clubs and federations are typically fines and closing a section of a stadium for future games. They are then responsible for imposing bans from the stadium for their own fans
Source: Oman News Agency