FIFA Announces New Punishments for Serious Incidents of Racism

FIFA has announced that it will hand out new, harsh punishments in dealing with serious incidents of racism, which could result in clubs even being expelled or relegated.

BBC Sport broke the news on Friday, and outlined the specifics of the newly-defined powers. In relatively minor cases, the consequence will saddle football clubs with either a fine, a warning or a match played behind closed doors—where fans will not be allowed in the stadium as spectators.

Repeat transgressions or particularly severe cases of racism are instances where relegation is possible, along with a points deduction or outright expulsion from a club's league.

Jeffrey Webb, the leader of FIFA's anti-racism task force, called the decision to take such bold action "a defining moment."

Webb also added the following:

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Our football family is fully aware that what is reported in the media is actually less than 1% of the incidents that happen around the world. We've got to take action so that when we look to the next 20 or 50 years this will be the defining time that we took action against racism and discrimination.

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A 99 percent majority voted to pass the resolution in Mauritius—an encouraging sign in eliminating the ugliness of this discrimination in the public forum of world football. However, BBC Sport's Richard Conway noted how that one percent shows that combating the issue aggressively is necessary, and logged comments made by FIFA governing body member Tokyo Sexwale:

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Former South African apartheid prisoner Tokyo Sexwale, now a FIFA member, urged congress to check cameras to see who voted against racism rules. Sexwale says (the) 1% vote against demonstrates how football still has to fight against racism.

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Sepp Blatter, the president of FIFA, elaborated on the stern signal his congress had sent to racists:

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We need zero tolerance and strict punishments everywhere. We must lead. We must set a tough, uncompromising example. We can make a difference. We can send a strong signal to the racists that their time is up.

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Another element of the new stipulations is the utilization of an official on site to identify potential incidents.

This resolution was months in the making, spurred by the racist chants leveled at AC Milan's Kevin-Prince Boateng in a January 3 friendly against Pro Patria. He left the pitch in the first half, and the match was called off. The midfielder was also a member of the FIFA task force.

Individuals who engage in any acts of racism will be banned from all football stadiums for a minimum of five matches, too.

Retired English international striker Luther Blissett leads an anti-racism charity called, Show Racism The Red Card, but has legitimate concerns about the new rules:

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You've got to applaud them for doing something about it, my thing is when they talk about the "level" of racism. To me, racism is racism...  FIFA have to let it be known where they are going to start this from. Any form of racism is serious enough for the bans to start, they should hit people hard straight away.

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It remains to be seen how effectively and consistently these measures can be enforced, but it is at the very least a strong step in the direction of eradicating a form of discrimination that should not exist anywhere.