Any racist abuse from fans, be 'brave' and stop games - UEFA to Referees

...be "brave" and stop games - UEFA

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin says he will ask referees to be "brave" and stop matches where there is racial abuse from fans.


Chelsea and England winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, 18, was subjected to abuse in games against Dynamo Kiev and Montenegro last month.

"The moment a match is stopped, or it's not played, I think that 90% of normal people in the stadium would kick the asses of those idiots," said Ceferin.

"It's 2019, it's not 100 years ago."

Manchester City and England forward Raheem Sterling suffered alleged racist abuse from Chelsea fans in a Premier League game at Stamford Bridge in December, while a study published in November found that half of football supporters in the UK have witnessed racism while watching matches.

Sterling has called on football's authorities to take "a proper stance" and crack down on racist abuse.

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri, Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp and Tottenham's Mauricio Pochettino are among the managers to say they would be prepared to take their players off the pitch to combat racist chanting.

"This is a huge problem. Not just the Balkans, all eastern Europe. You have England, where you have problems.

"It's a problem of intolerant people, not a problem of nations."
BBC Sport