Cairo – Sepp Blatter, the President of world football governing body FIFA, has called for tougher punishment for teams and associations found guilty of racism and discrimination.
Blatter told the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Congress on Tuesday night in Cairo, Egypt that there was need for tougher punishment because the monetary sanctions were increasingly ineffective.
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He said this has become imperative because the statutes allowed for stiffer sanctions.
The FIFA president said stiffer sanctions now had to be implemented as the battle against the scourge of racism and discrimination was not being won.
“We have to punish not only through fines and stadium closures, but we have to use our rules to suspend teams, to take away their points or even to relegate them if racism continues,” he said.
Blatter reminded African countries of extensive financial support to the continent’s football associations from FIFA.
He said FIFA had spent some 700 million dollars on various programmes across Africa.
“We should maybe spend more to prepare a better future for the children,” Blatter said.
He was met with a warm ovation from the African delegates, in contrast to having to sit through stinging criticism when he attended the UEFA congress in Vienna last month.
The congress was also attended by Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, Dutch Football Association President Michael van Praag and former Portugal international Luis Figo.
The trio of Al-Hussein, van Praag and Figo are all standing against Blatter, but they were not permitted to address the assembly.
Meanwhile, CAF President Issa Hayatou, who last year pledged his members’ support to Blatter’s bid for another term in office, repeated his call for Africa to back the incumbent.
“He has been a faithful partner and in Africa we acknowledge our friends and offer them what they deserve,” he said.(Reuters/NAN)
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