I had two stones hit me in the head when I went to get the ball for a throw-in. Every time I touched the ball I heard monkey chants.These were Danny Roses comments after being sent off for reacting against the constant abuse hed been subjected to during the recent Serbia vs England u-21s match. The words speak for themselves, and make it clear to any tolerant human being that enough is enough.After years of minor punishments, the international football authorities must crack down hard on racial abuse and the organisations which Josh Okogie Jersey allow it to carry on. The kind of sensele s filth that rained down from the stands throughout the Serbia game has no place in the modern game, wherever its played.To make things worse, the Serbian FA has since i sued a statement to say that it absolutely refuses and denies that there were any occurrences of racism, and that the match apparently occurred in a sports atmosphere full of respecting fair play spirit. This staggering declaration was made despite the ready availability of conclusive proof online, ina video which clearly shows the home fans directing monkey noises at black England players. With these sickening scenes reportedly accompanied by mi sile-throwing that included a chair being flung at Stuart Rondae Hollis-Jefferson Jersey Pearce, the reaction of the Serbian authorities seems to be mired in self-delusion.Though Serbias stubborn negation of the facts is extremely troubling for any team who travels there with ethnic minorities, UEFAs record in this area is much more concerning. The punishments handed out by the ruling body of European football, a supposed bastion for enlightened values, in response to incidents of racism in recent years have been farcically lenient. After black England players were targeted in another u-21 match against Serbia in 2007, with abuse from the stands and on the pitch, Jimmy Butler Jersey the Serbian FA was fined 16,500. This is a shockingly low figure in the world of football, and one which makes only the most feeble gesture at ending discrimination. However, it is unfortunately Dario Saric Jersey largely representative of UEFAs policy. Racist conduct by Croatian fans during a Euro 2008 quarter-final with Turkey led to an inconsequential 10,000 fine, and the situation did not improve between tournaments. Chants from Spanish and Ru sian fans during Euro 2012 which targeted black players led to their football federations being forced to pay 16,137 and 24,203 respectively.By approaching discrimination in this way, UEFA is actually damaging footballs fight against racism, portraying it as a minor i sue that deserves only a slap on the wrists. If Michel Platini is serious about eliminating prejudice from the game, he has to make tough decisions that back up those ideals. A tiny fine has no merit, and has clearly not encouraged Ricky Rubio Jersey the Serbian FA over the last five years to put an end to racist fan behaviour. Instead, the national team must be suspended, or forced to play without its fans until genuine steps have been taken to resolve the i sue. If this standard is applied to all international sides, then racism may foreseeably cease to exist as an i sue in the global arena. When UEFA next convenes on November 22ndand discu ses the events which took place in Krusevac on Tuesday, they need to show that they recognise the importance of ending racism.
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