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FIFA says it will take ‘adequate action’ once it investigates racial abuse English players have faced in Hungary
By ROB HARRIS AP Global Football Editor
September 3, 2021, 4:11 PM
• 4 minutes to read
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ZURICH – After English players were victims of racist abuse in Hungary, FIFA said on Friday it would take “adequate measures” once its investigation was concluded.
The FIFA statement did not directly condemn Hungarian fans for the abuse, which included monkey chants, during Thursday’s World Cup qualifying match at Puskas Arena in Budapest which England won 4 -0.
“Following the analysis of the match reports, FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings regarding the incidents,” said the world governing body, without specifically referring to the discriminatory incidents.
Hungary had recently been ordered to play two matches without supporters, but the UEFA sanction did not take effect for England’s visit as the match was under FIFA jurisdiction. FIFA did not explain why it had not sought to apply the sanction immediately.
The racist abuse has been condemned by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has been criticized for his own offensive racist comments in the past.
“It is completely unacceptable that English players were racially abused in Hungary last night,” Johnson said on Twitter. “I urge (FIFA) to take strong action against those responsible to ensure that this kind of shameful behavior is permanently eradicated from the game.”
England players were taunted for taking a knee, bombarded with plastic cups after goals, and then targeted with alleged racist chants.
Field reporters from national broadcasters ITV and Sky Sports said they saw and heard from among the Hungarian fans behind one of the monkey chants goals against Raheem Sterling and the unused replacement Jude Bellingham, who are black. Sky Sports showed video footage of a spectator giving the abuse.
The match took place in front of a crowd of 60,000 fans, mostly Hungarians, around two months after UEFA ordered the team to play three matches without supporters – one of which was suspended for a period. two-year probationary – as punishment for what has been called “discriminatory behavior” by his supporters in his three group matches at Euro 2020.
These closed-door matches must however be in UEFA competition. The World Cup qualifiers are organized by FIFA.
“Why do we keep coming back to these same scenarios, when they are so predictable and they are so preventable? Said Tony Burnett, CEO of anti-racist group Kick It Out. “If the governing bodies and the right people intend to influence change, they will.
The Hungarian Football Association made no mention of racial abuse in a statement issued on Friday condemning the actions of “those who disturbed” the crowd.
The Hungarian FA said it was seeking to identify those who threw on the ground what the body described as “flash grenades and cups” and will report them to police.
“All possible fines will be imposed on the authors by the association in the context of civil litigation,” the statement said, “after which they will be subject to a ban from participating in sporting events for two years.”
He said that “the vast majority of Puskas Arena’s 60,000 fans were there to cheer on their team in a sporting way, even when their team was losing.”
——— AP Sports writer Steve Douglas contributed to this report
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