Britain’s sports minister on Thursday led calls for Fifa president Sepp Blatter to resign after the global football supremo played down the extent of racism in the sport.
Sports Minister Hugh Robertson said Blatter’s position as head of world football was no longer tenable after he said in a television interview that disputes on the pitch involving racist abuse should be resolved by a handshake.
“This is incredibly serious but it is part of a pattern of behaviour,” Robertson told BBC radio.
Asked whether Blatter should resign, Robertson said: “Yes. I can’t see there’s anything terribly new in this. We’ve been saying this for some time.”
The head of England’s Professional Footballers Association, Gordon Taylor, also said Blatter should quit over the remarks.
“He is the leader of world football, he has to be a leader in anti-racism,” Taylor told Sky News.
‘Going backwards’
“Racism is divisive and for him to say the player on the receiving end should forget about it at the end of the game and shake hands … We are going backwards … It is not good enough, it’s embarrassing.
“It is time for him to go.”
Blatter’s comments were greeted with incredulity by the British media, a long-time critic of the Swiss administrator’s stewardship of Fifa.
The Sun tabloid led the condemnation with a front page story headlined “Blind as a Blatt” while the paper’s editorial said it was time for the veteran Swiss official to step down.
“Blatter has long been a serious embarrassment to the game,” the paper said. “Now we know he thinks racism is no big deal. What a toad he is.”
Racial abuse
Blatter’s comments came as Liverpool’s Uruguayan international Luis Suarez was charged by the English Football Association for allegedly racially abusing Manchester United’s French international Patrice Evra.
England captain John Terry is also facing a police and FA investigation over allegations he hurled racist abuse at QPR defender Anton Ferdinand.
The Daily Telegraph‘s football correspondent Henry Winter, meanwhile, said Blatter’s position at the summit of the sport was untenable.
“Any politician who had uttered similarly offensive comments would have been sacked or resigned,” Winter wrote. “Yet Tyrannosaurus Sepp carries on, an embarrassment to a wonderful sport, an affront to common decency.”
In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Blatter said the sport did not have a problem with racism.
‘There is no racism’
“I would deny it. There is no racism, there is maybe one of the players towards another, he has a word or a gesture which is not the correct one,” he said.
“But also the one who is affected by that, he should say that this is a game. We are in a game and at the end of the game, we shake hands and this can happen because we have worked so hard against racism and discrimination.”
Former England captain Rio Ferdinand addressed Blatter directly via Twitter: “Your comments on racism are so condescending it’s almost laughable. If fans shout racist chants but shake our hands is that ok?”
Blatter on Thursday reiterated Fifa’s “proud record” of fighting discrimination in a post on Twitter.
‘Misunderstood’
Blatter attempted to play down his remarks afterwards by issuing a statement where he pledged his commitment to stamping out racism.
“My comments have been misunderstood. What I wanted to express is that, as football players, during a match, you have ‘battles’ with your opponents, and sometimes things are done which are wrong,” he said.
“But, normally, at the end of the match, you apologise to your opponent if you had a confrontation during the match, you shake hands, and when the game is over, it is over.
“Having said that, I want to stress again that I do not want to diminish the dimension of the problem of racism in society and in sport.
“I am committed to fighting this plague and kicking it out of football.” — Sapa, AFP, Reuters