Loss of points in cases of racism is not used in Europe – 02/15/2023 – Sport

Faced with the prospect of a record number of cases of racism involving Brazilian players, the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) took an unprecedented decision among the main national federations. The entity included in the regulation of its competitions the possibility of loss of points for clubs involved in episodes of prejudice.

There is no precedent of its kind in Europe’s top club tournaments. In practice, England, Spain, Germany and Italy prefer fines.

Fans identified in offenses can be banned from stadiums for several years. There is a possibility that the team’s stadium will be partially or totally closed for a few rounds.

Losing points is unheard of.

“The decision is very important because, at a time when there is an increase in denunciations, we need the entities to fight to fight racism”, said Marcelo Carvalho, director of the Observatório do Racismo no Futebol.

Each year, the NGO produces a report with all cases of prejudice registered in Brazilian football or suffered by athletes from the country abroad. The document referring to 2022 is not yet ready, but Carvalho says that the number should be the highest since the Observatory was created. More than 90 incidents were recorded.

“The CBF has the prerogative to determine its General Regulation of Competitions. All penalties will be administrative and submitted to the STJD [Superior Tribunal de Justiça Desportiva] so that they can be confirmed or not. In any case of racism or discrimination, the match summary will be forwarded to the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Civil Police so that there can be consequences for the offenders”, said the president of the CBF, Ednaldo Rodrigues.

The General Regulation of Competitions is the document that provides the guidelines for all tournaments played in the country. The new measure takes effect at the end of this month, with the start of the Copa do Brasil. Loss of points is the last stage of sports punishment. Before that there is a fine, suspension and loss of field command.

“In the Technical Council it was defined that the first punishment will be a pecuniary fine. Only in case of recurrence the club should lose points in the competition. STJD, which will decide whether the loss of points will be applied to the club in question”, explained Rodrigo Marrubia, a lawyer specializing in sports law.

Fines, suspensions, stadium closures and loss of orders are the standard punishments in European football, which has already caused complaints from athletes. Chelsea and England striker Raheem Sterling has asked clubs that have racist supporters to lose nine points in the Premier League table.

The entity that commands the elite in the country and the national federation have preferred to impose fines and, above all, identify the culprits, who are criminally prosecuted and prohibited from entering stadiums.

In January last year, the UK government ruled that anyone linked to racist acts, in stadiums or on social media, will be banned from attending matches in England and Wales for ten years.

In the 2021/22 season, the NGO Kick it Out, which fights prejudice in football, recorded 329 cases of online or face-to-face racism in England.

In European competitions, the protocol determines, during matches, warnings over the stadium’s sound system, stoppage of the match and, finally, early closure. Not everyone agrees with the last measure, the most radical.

“The best thing is to beat their team and win on the field,” opined Sterling himself.

It is not a unanimous position. Renowned coaches, such as Jürgen Klopp (Liverpool-ING) and Maurizio Sarri (Lazio-ITA), have already defended the cancellation of games in case of racism.

In Spain, there are already four complaints of racism in the current season. It is the highest number since the data began to be counted in 2015.

“We have to recognize that in recent months there has been an increase in the number of incidents of violence and racism. I don’t think there is a bigger problem now, but yes, we are more committed. We have been in this work since 2015 because it worries us a lot”, he told the Spanish daily AS the head of equality at the Spanish Federation, Elvira Andrés.

The preferred victim has been the Brazilian Vinicius Junior, from Real Madrid. He was called a “monkey” in a game against Osasuna. Before the match against Atlético de Madrid, a doll representing him appeared as if he had been hanged.

“The racists continue to go to the stadiums and watch the biggest club in the world up close, and LaLiga continues to do nothing. I will continue with my head held high and celebrating my victories and Madrid’s. In the end, it’s MY fault”, wrote the athlete on Twitter .

consulted by SheetLaLiga says that it will not comment on the matter, but that it has already reported the cases to the country’s authorities.

The country’s government mandates that referees report all kinds of offenses or racist incidents that occur in matches. The determination is that, as in Uefa, the game is interrupted in case of episodes of prejudice. As a last measure, the duel must be suspended.

These are recommendations that also exist in Italy, but which are hardly put into practice in the last consequences. Mario Balotelli, Brescia striker in 2019, kicked the ball at Verona fans, tired of hearing racist insults. He threatened to leave the pitch, but was stopped by his teammates.