Britain’s sports minister led calls for FIFA president Sepp Blatter to resign yesterday after the global football supremo played down the extent of racism in the sport.
Hugh Robertson said Blatter’s position as head of world football was no longer tenable after he said in a television interview that disputes on the pitch involving racist abuse should be resolved by a handshake.
“Sepp Blatter’s comments are completely unacceptable,” Robertson said.
“This is the latest episode that calls into question whether this man should be the head of world football.
“For the sake of the game, he should go. We have been consistent in our calls for improved governance at FIFA and this underlines the need for that once more.”
The head of England’s Professional Footballers Association, Gordon Taylor, also said Blatter should quit.
“He is the leader of world football, he has to be a leader in anti-racism,” Taylor told Sky News.
“Racism is divisive and for him to say the player on the receiving end should forget about it at the end of the game and shake hands... we are going backwards. It is not good enough, it’s embarrassing. It is time for him to go.”
Herman Ouseley, a member of the House of Lords who chairs the anti-racism Kick It Out group, said Blatter had no “understanding of what racism is”.
“Enlightened leadership at this level is needed. Minor matters on the field often can be resolved with a handshake.
“Racism is not a minor matter,” he said.
Blatter’s comments were greeted with incredulity by the British media, a long-time critic of the Swiss administrator’s stewardship of FIFA.
The Sun tabloid led the condemnation with a front page story headlined “Blind as a Blatt”, while the paper’s editorial said it was time for the veteran Swiss official to step down.
In an interview on Wednesday, Blatter said the sport did not have a problem with racism.
“I would deny it. There is no racism, there is maybe one of the players towards another, he has a word or a gesture which is not the correct one,” he said.
“But also the one who is affected by that, he should say that this is a game. We are in a game, and at the end of the game, we shake hands, and this can happen, because we have worked so hard against racism and discrimination.”
Blatter later issued a statement clarifying his remarks.
“What I wanted to express is that, as football players, during a match, you have ‘battles’ with your opponents, and sometimes things are done which are wrong,” he said.