The president of FIFA, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Football Association, in English), is facing a lot of criticism since his comment earlier this week about racism present in football. Sepp Blatter, the president of FIFA, commented that any racism present on the football (soccer) pitch could simply be resolved with a handshake at the end of the match. "There is no racism on the field, but maybe there is a word or gesture that is not correct," Blatter said. “The one affected by this should say this is a game and shake hands." Additionally, he said that these such remarks and gestures among the players are frequent, stemming from “the heat of the moment” and should be forgotten after the final whistle. The public is outraged by these comments because Blatter basically said that just because racist comments may be exchanged on the football pitch, it does not mean that racism is present in the sport. He claims racism is not present at all in football.
Racism has been an ongoing problem with football, not just between the players themselves but among the fans and spectators, especially. Every year, many are injured, or die, in football riots that start with spectator behavior. Players are subject to the spectators’ racist comments, too, and minority players frequently complain that they have been hit with objects thrown at them from the stands. Following his ‘misinterpreted’ comment about racism present in the game, Blatter also noted that FIFA has long been trying to eradicate racism from football, and he has continually spoken out about the importance of enforcing fair play. Seemingly contradicting himself, Blatter mentioned that he has “personally leading the fight against racism in football,” with FIFA’s many campaigns to stop it, such as 'Say No to Racism.'
Many are calling for Sepp Blatter to resign as the president of FIFA because of these comments about racism and football. He has frequently made other blunders in interviews, but this last comment was so far off the mark that people agree he’s gone too far. Blatter says he has no intention to resign.
Marion Gibney
-http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/15757165.stm
-http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/news/_/id/7243649/fifa-president-sepp-blatter-downplays-soccer-racism
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