A five-point plan has been put up by FIFA to address racist abuse in football.
Current and former players who “are passionate about making change” were included in an “extensive consultation process,” according to the world governing body of the sport.
One of the recommendations in the plan is to have players disclose racist occurrences during games by using a common crossed-hands symbol.
At FIFA’s annual conference in Bangkok on Thursday, the proposal titled “Global Stand Against Racism” will be introduced to the organization’s 211 members.
The proposal’s first pillar aims to designate racism as a distinct violation with “specific and severe sanctions, including match forfeits,” that are contained in the disciplinary codes of all member associations.
“Pause, suspend, and abandon games in cases of racism,” according to FIFA’s statement.
Referees will employ the crossed-hands symbol to indicate an in-game protocol that involves twice pausing matches, issuing warnings, and ending the game if racism persists.
Under pillar three, “criminal charges,” FIFA demanded that racism be identified as a crime in all nations and that, in those that already had, it be subject to harsh penalties.
Fifa further stated that it will support educational programmes in collaboration with governments and schools to “provide a future free of racism,” and that it will establish an anti-racism panel comprised of former players to oversee the proposal’s advancement.
Vinicius Jr., a winger for Real Madrid and Brazil, stated earlier this year that he felt “less and less” like playing football as a result of ongoing racial insults.
Nearly 20,000 offensive social media remarks were directed towards players, coaches, and officials during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, according to a FIFA report published last year.
Additionally, during the Euro 2020 final, England manager Gareth Southgate referred to the racial taunts directed towards Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka as “unforgivable.”
