LONDON: European football governing body UEFA yesterday formally ratified plans to impose 10-game European suspensions on players and officials found guilty of racism.
Racist behaviour by supporters will initially be punished with a partial stadium closure, with a full stadium closure for a second offence.
The new measures were approved at the organisation’s executive committee meeting in London, but UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino said individual member associations could still opt to introduce their own anti-racism sanctions, after England’s Football Association announced plans for minimum five-game bans.
“An association should adopt the same or similar measures. UEFA has always acted in a way to try to convince people rather than impose,” he told a press conference.
“I don’t think you measure the way of fighting against racism in one simple measure and sanction.
“The way I read the FA’s decision is that it could be five matches and it could also be 15. The FA are sure their way of regulating is more correct for England.
“It’s their decision, but it doesn’t mean they do more or less than us. Everyone has to do what they can do in this field.
“The FA is autonomous and know best what is best for England to do in the fight against racism. It is probably one of the countries where the most has been done.”
UEFA also announced that it will extend the use of blood tests to detect doping from next season onwards.
“We want to do everything possible to show that we want a clean sport,” Infantino said.
“We had some good experiments with blood tests in 2008 and 2012 (at the European Championships). We thought it was the right moment.”
Infantino added that medical experts would decide the number of tests to be conducted and in which competitions the tests would be carried out.
Until now, UEFA has relied on urine tests, which several specialists consider insufficient.
In addition, UEFA will launch a study of 900 samples taken from footballers since 2008 in order to look for traces of steroids. The tests will be anonymous and will not lead to sanctions.
In another announcement, UEFA revealed that the 2015 Champions League final will take place at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.
It has also been decided the 2015 Europa League final will be held in Warsaw.
Bayern Munich take on Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund on Saturday in an all-German Champions League final at Wembley while the 2014 final will be hosted by Lisbon’s Estadio da Luz.
The Berlin final will be the eighth time that a UEFA final has been held on German soil, the most recent being at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena when the hosts lost the 2012 Champions League final on penalties to Chelsea.
Built by Adolf Hitler’s Nazi government for the 1936 Olympic Summer Games, the Berlin stadium has a capacity of 74,064.
It hosted both the 2006 World Cup final, won by Italy, and has held the German Cup final every year since 1985.
Meanwhile, Litex Lovech coach Hristo Stoichkov was fined $4,600 yesterday for threatening to beat up Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) president Borislav Mihaylov after his team’s 2-1 home loss to Lokomotiv Sofia.
Former European Footballer of the Year Stoichkov, 47, also said referee Georgi Yordanov had “made fun” of his players by showing them cards and not awarding them a penalty in Wednesday’s Bulgarian league match.
Stoichkov also received a one-match touchline ban for “insulting officials in the media”, the BFU’s disciplinary commission said in a statement.
Agencies
