UEFA give referees power to abandon games over Racist chanting
Published: July 2, 2009
UEFA have approved new guidelines for match officials to deal with racist chants or other behaviour in stadiums which includes stopping the game. The new rules would allow the referee to first stop a match and issue a warning over the public address system requesting that the racist behaviour cease. If this did not work, he could suspend the game for 5 to 10 minutes.
“As a third and final step, if the racist behaviour does not cease after the game has restarted, the referee shall as a last resort, definitively abandon the match,” UEFA said in a statement.
The executive body also decided that any consequences, such as forfeit, stadium suspension, fines or others, from the racism outbreak “will be dealt with by the UEFA disciplinary bodies”. A number of racist incidents, mainly involving chants from home fans, have blighted matches in recent years and UEFA have often been criticised for imposing relatively minor fines and sanctions on the governing body of offending nations.
Given that certain institutions in Scotland have labelled the Famine Song as racist, it is still to be seen whether any referee in the SPL will have the bottle to abandon a game involving Rangers, even an Old Firm derby match over such behaviour. Scotland has been struck in recent years with an upsurge in anti-Irish racism, along with racist chanting towards the likes of Jason Scotland and other ethnic players, by other clubs supporters.
Again will our referees have the bottle to carry out UEFA’s new rules? We want your views.
Tagged with: racist, referees, uefa
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15 Comments on "UEFA give referees power to abandon games over Racist chanting"
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danny murray on Fri, 3rd Jul 2009 1:28 am
So there will be know Celtic/Rangers games this season just call them all a draw?????????????????????????????????/
Editor on Fri, 3rd Jul 2009 11:34 am
doubt it would ever happnhre dany – the uproar from both sides would be huge as would the hassle with te sfa from fans and clubs alike.
Kopfan on Sat, 4th Jul 2009 10:59 am
Thanks for this site.
Kopfan on Sat, 4th Jul 2009 11:03 am
@Kopfan – Can we kick celtic out of europe for the M a r k W a l t e rs incident. It was disgusting.
Editor on Sat, 4th Jul 2009 11:59 am
kopfan that was back in the 80s and if you wish to highlight such an incident back then – what about recent incidents involving rangers fans singing the famine song which has been classed as racist by many professional bodies in Scotland? Should we ban Rangers from Europe because of this or the billy boys songs sung in previous seasons? give me a break and get real.
or how about the abuse that james mccarthy has received last season in the spl from opposition fans because he chose ireland instead of scotland to play for? the abuse launched at him can be classed as racist – so what about those clubs then?
Kopfan on Sat, 4th Jul 2009 12:23 pm
I dont take the famine song as racist I see it as a joke aimed at people pretending to be irish like yourself for instance.
James Mccarthy I belive is scottish so how the hell can those chants be racist.
The billy boys a song which used by Rangers fans has nothing to do with racism so why bother bringing it up.
For an editor you are a bit petty and bitter and this is coming from a neutral english point of view.
Editor on Sat, 4th Jul 2009 12:46 pm
u dont take the famine song as racist – yet organisations like nil by mouth, give racism the red card, the police have stated that the song is racist. And I am Scottish so where is this pretendin to be Irish?
James McCarthy is scottish but he plays for Ireland through his grandparents – whats wrong with that? Yet certain individuals sing TFS at him – in my books that is racism towards a teenager.
The Billy Boys while not Racist is Sectarian and has been banned by the authorites – you claim that Celtic should be banned for the mark walters incident – why not ban rangers for singing he billy boys for decades?? exactly you reasoning is totally idiotic and a neutral point of view?? give us a break everyone reading this can certainly see you are a rangers fan it oozes out of your comments with your comment that I am pretending to be irish just because I have allegiances towards Celtic.
Your thene being petty, ignorant and downright idiotic mate.
danny murray on Sat, 4th Jul 2009 4:39 pm
Kopfan do reasearch before making stupid statements checkout history of billy boys origons then tell me it is not sectarian dont make statements based on what some guy @ a football match has told you!
I would also reckon that the song is Racist as well as sectarian!
Kopfan on Mon, 6th Jul 2009 5:34 am
Danny Murphy I dont know what origons are but ill look into it for you.
I also tend to belive that the Why dont you go home song is a humourous song that certain groups of people have overreated on.
Now Editor can you explain why posts with Ma-rk Wal-ters (without the dashes) in it are blocked?
Editor on Mon, 6th Jul 2009 6:58 am
they are not bocked kopfan – the fact is you posted about twelve comments all the same and given that every comment has to be moderated – whats the point of approving all twelve of them? So I deleted all of them and left one up – given that they all said the same thing – so whats your point again or what are you trying to imply?
And the famine song may be humorous to the likes of you and your like but there are fre more folk out there that not only hate that song including some in the rangers support, but outwith that fan base also be it celtic fans or not. It is a racist song, it has been deemed to be an arrestable offence for anyone singing it and the recent court case involving William Walls has proven that, and the appeal that was conducted on Walls’ behalf by Donald Findlay QC – a sectarian bigot btw interestingly who paid for Walls to haveFindlay as his QC??? certainly not legal aid thats for sure – stated that the song is not just banter and is not just like the flower of scotland or god save the queen etc etc.
Certain groups who have overreacted to – Irish Government, Give Racism the Red Card, Nil by Mouth, Strathclyde Police, Rangers Football Club – for actually getting the cops involved in the first place, the Scottish Government – the list goes on. Yep they are all wrong Kopfan – and you and the Rangers support are right – take the hint, its not a humourous song nor is it just banter. The same comment pops up time and time again with this subject – but what if the folk the Rangers fans were singing the song too were asylum seekers, blacks, asians, jews? You bring up the racism aimed towards Mark Walters back in the 1980s which was disgraceful, but that was over 20 years ago – TFS is in the here and now and yet you seem to justify anti-irish racism and yet condone other forms of racism based on skin colour. Whats the difference?
Kopfan on Mon, 6th Jul 2009 7:03 am
Fookin ell what happened to football in jockland have you all lost what banter is all about, all its about now is who is offended and false crys for racism and sectarianism.
The irish have been through worse than a song seriously get a life mate.
Editor on Mon, 6th Jul 2009 7:14 am
well given that you can’t tell the difference between racism and banter it just goes to prove everything about you then doesn’t it? And what about your ‘neutral’ viewpoint you were trying to pass off at the start? Rather than trying to hide behin a neutrals viewpoint why didnt you just come out and state who you supported – given your comments weall now know who you support – so why the deception?
True the irish have been through worse, but that does not mean you and your like can continue to sing a racist song because they have had it worse in the past. Is it okay for Neo-Nazi scum to attack Jews or sing songs glorifying anti-semitism just because the Jews had it worse in the past? of course its not but because its the Irish and not the blacks, jews, asians then its okay to do so? Just proves the point kopfan that you are racist in your views – it might not be in regards to folks colour of their skin but you still reek of racism it oozes out of your pores. Your the one who needs to get a life – singing a racist song at a football match.
danny murray on Mon, 6th Jul 2009 3:48 pm
Whos Danny Murphy????????????????
Kopfan on Mon, 13th Jul 2009 6:51 am
Liverpool of course but your paranoia seems to tell you something else.
Yes iam racist im a fully paid up member of the KKK so I am. Racist against the poor downtrodden irish when im half irish myself lol. I know plenty of Irish who have no affinity to a scottish team who just see that song as a bit of banter.
The words get a grip apply here.
Editor on Mon, 13th Jul 2009 6:56 am
Aye and its people like yourself fobbing such racist songs off as banter that allow thes scum and eejits to continually sing it – if it was a song against an ethnic minority it would be condemned by all – yet because it is aimed against the Irish, then its okay. Theremay be some who think its just banter, but there is a huge proportion that think its racist – and if organisations such as Nil by Mouth, Give Racism the Red Card as well as the Irish Government state that its racist – then its racist and you cannot ignore that.