October 18 – British politicians from across all parties are urging UEFA to ban teams who do not tackle racism effectively, following Monday’s highly publicised incidents in Sofia when England played Bulgaria.
Sports minister Nigel Adams described the abuse towards England players as “disgusting”, while new Liberal Democrat MP Luciana Berger – who quit the Labour party in protest at the handling of anti-Semitism allegations – called on UEFA to take “tough action”.
John Leech, another Liberal Democrat, said: “The scenes on Monday night in Sofia were stomach-churning, but unfortunately, racist abuse continues to blight football in this country, too.
“UEFA’s protocol on reporting abuse is a start. But how can we be ‘at a start’ when it comes to reporting racial abuse in 2019?
“There is no place in football, or wider society, for any form of discrimination. UEFA must ban teams that don’t tackle racism if they are serious about making a difference.
“In leagues across Europe this weekend, more black and minority ethnic footballers will face similar abuse, with little or no security on hand.
“UEFA needs to take a lead, but we must also take action ourselves. That’s why I urge everyone to join this campaign and finally, once and for all, let’s Show Racism the Red Card.”
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