Lazio’s ultras will continue to be terrible. Mario Balotelli will have to restrain himself from leaping into the crowd and starting a brawl. The news coming out of Scotland today doesn’t change much, but it’s a step. Whatever.
After stating players shouldn’t run away from their problems when Kevin-Prince Boateng walked off the pitch during a friendly in January, Sepp Blatter quickly did a 180 and is now trying to mend an already tarnished reputation.
Sepp has invited KPB to FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich on March 22 for a ‘courtesy appearance’ — whatever the hell that is. CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb will head a new anti-racism task force that aims to tackle a problem that goes beyond football.
“We have to work on it but we cannot do it alone,” Blatter said from Edinburgh. “It is a big, big problem also of education and understanding, and (needs) a little bit also of solidarity. But we will do it because we have to kick it out.”
Meanwhile, Lazio will play their next two European matches in an empty stadium after being punished for multiple offenses including a fourth charge of racist behaviour. The club was fined 40,000 Euros for incidents that occurred during their round of 32 Europe league tie with Borussia Monchengladbach.
Racism: they’re trying to fix things but people remain terrible. Sounds about right.
At least they fined them 40 000 though, because that’ll obviously crush racism completely.
Good to know that FIFA have got this covered then…
And to think that idiot Blatter said there were no problems with racism in football last year.
Was this before or after his handshake cure-all proposal?
Guy’s even angling for another FIFA term based on some of his recent interviews – can’t wait, because that’ll be just what the game needs.
Anyway, on the upside there’s always this – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvMPXwqTMto
Hehe. So near, and yet so far…
Fining a top tier club 40k doesn’t really leave any impression at all. They should have fine them the whole of the ticket money for that season and identify those trouble makers and ban them for life. See if that works.
Exactly.
That’s about the weekly wage of one backup player in their first-team squad excluding bonuses – nothing but a drop in the ocean.
Until the fines get serious, things will stay the same.
A cynic might say that that’s just their intention though…