As many as five teams in soccer’s World Cup could face sanctions from the sport’s governing body, FIFA, for racist and homophobic behavior by their fans (or supporters in soccerspeak). Two of them could effectively be sent home as a result.
On Thursday, Football Against Racism in Europe, a working group that combats hate and discrimination in European soccer, reported that fans of Croatia, Russia, Brazil and Mexico had had engaged in hateful acts in the stands. On June 12, Croatian fans attending their country’s opening game against Brazil were seen unfurling a banner used by the pro-Nazi Ustase regime during World War II. Last Tuesday, Mexican fans called Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar a “puto”–the Spanish word for a male prostitute, and a common homophobic slur in Latin America. Brazilian fans responded in kind. Later that night, Russian fans waved banners containing the Celtic Cross, a common symbol used by white supremacists and neo-Nazis, during their game against South Korea. And on Saturday, someone attending the match between Germany and Ghana in Fortaleza spotted two German fans in blackface. FARE didn’t report this incident; rather, a disgusted fan uploaded a picture to Instagram.
These five teams are likely to feel the lash of FIFA’s tough new rules on fan behavior. They were enacted to deal with a long legacy of ugly racist and homophobic slurs from fans. For instance, it’s very common for fans to throw bananas at black players–a way of calling them monkeys. First-time offenders usually get a stern warning, but teams whose fans have been called out for offensive behavior at past tournaments could have points taken away in the round-robin stage–the equivalent of losing credit for a win or a tie. Particularly egregious offenses can get a team banned from qualifying for the next World Cup. UEFA, which oversees European soccer, has even called for teams to play their next game in an empty stadium–or “behind closed doors,” as it’s commonly called in soccer–for extreme misconduct. However, this is highly unlikely given the stakes.
Brazil, Mexico and Germany are likely to get off with warnings. Due to a past history of bad fan behavior, however, Croatia and Russia could lose a point in the standings. Croatia was fined six times during Euro 2012 after fans waved racist banners and made monkey noises at Italian forward Mario Balotelli. After numerous instances of offensive banners and monkey chants at Euro 2012, Russia was slapped with a suspended six-point penalty–the equivalent of having three wins count for nothing–at Euro 2016.? Croatia is currently in third place in Group A, while Russia is in third place in Group E. A loss of a point in the final stages of World Cup group play would all but eliminate Croatia and Russia from contention for the knockout (single-elimination) stage. To put this in American perspective, imagine a college football team having to forfeit games in midseason, knocking them out of bowl consideration.
FIFA is under particular pressure to take significant action against Russia. That country is due to host the 2018 World Cup, and several black players have hinted they may not attend if the racism there isn’t reined in.
FARE president Piara Powar thinks these countries’ fans need “some rapid education” on the seriousness of what they’re doing. He pointed out that “zero tolerance is the approach set out” for racist behavior from this point onward. Let’s hope FIFA does indeed come down on this with hobnail boots.
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Darrell Lucus is a radical-lefty Jesus-lover who has been blogging for change for a decade. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook.
