The Hindu : Sport / Football : ‘No room for racism’

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‘No room for racism’

Durban: Taking a tough stand against on-field racism, football’s governing body FIFA has warned that guilty teams may even be thrown out of the 2010 World Cup to be staged here.

“Teams responsible for an offence during the 2010 FIFA World Cup will have points deducted or even be eliminated from the competition,” FIFA President Sepp Blatter said.

Blatter, who is currently here for the Confederations Cup, a lead-up tournament to the World Cup, stated that the FIFA is determined to weed out on-field racial incidents from the game of football.

“As FIFA, we are keen to intervene and fight racism in our game. If there’s any evidence of racism, the red card is not enough, we will have to eliminate the team from the competition or deduct points.

“Football is an educational sport and is vital for South Africa to ensure that there is no racial conflict during the 2010 FIFA World Cup,” Blatter said on Wednesday.

Blatter also urged the players who will be vying for top honours during the quadrennial showpiece event to live up to the spirit of the game.

“I also urge players to take responsibility and be the core in the fight against racism. Teams must be responsible for their fans,” he said. — PTI

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