Moronic once again - Players who react to racism will be booked. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18338838 I appreciate that he wants to leave the referees in charge, and not have a load of players wandering off, but for God's sake, you're essentially being booked because you find racial abuse hurtful.
These Euros could raise up the boil that needs lancing in the international game. As much as a nutter as Balotelli is, I have to say I would respect him massively if he walked off due to racial abuse. What was the campaign? Just say no to racism? Normally you'd think that some major incident like that, or worse, actual racial violence, would force EUFA and FIFA to actually do something, although I still suspect they wouldn't. Or, they'd try and find some way to blame England.
Platini is a bellend but I think he's just saying it so that players don't do it, which is fair enough. Although it's disgusting, just walking off the pitch isn't the answer.
Incredible! He says the referee is to deal with any racist incidents, how can a referee control a few thousand brain dead Ukrainian racists in the crowd?
When the alternative is either ignoring it, or imposing insulting and pointless fines on the teams/countries I think walking off the pitch would be a great answer. If nothing else it would help to start alienating the arseholes who do it and the nations who ignore it and would force them to actually do something rather than just providing players with stupid badges saying Racism Out.
Yes. Burying heads in the sand has had no effect, something seismic needs to happen to make people and nations sit up and actually act.
Don't see how the player walking off the pitch would have more of impact than calling the game off. If games kept getting called of it would cause havoc for when they had to be arranged, especially with the games being so close together in the first place. People I feel sorry for are England fans (and other fans) who travel all that way if games start getting called off after 10 minutes. It's a pretty difficult situation, one that shouldn't even exist in the first place, ridiculous that the Euros are there.
You honestly think any referee will call off a game because of chanting? I think only in the event of crowd violence or missiles thrown onto the pitch would a referee be willing to stop the game.
However, the authorities can (and should) but the police more or less stand around taking absolutely no notice unless a fight breaks out and the cameras are rolling. One of my colleagues who is from those parts reckons that half the police would join in with the racists if they could! Platini - a great player but now a fully paid up wonk/apologist/gobsh!te for UEFA
Well I don't know, I agree they wouldn't usually, but with all the contoversy surrounding it now and what's been said, it could be more likely to be enforced.
Agreed, that is where action needs to be taken, hopefully with the spotlight on them the police will step up, although I'm not holding my breath!
The players are all aware of the 'risks' and have been for weeks/months before the start of the tournament, so I agree that they should be booked if they then decide they are within their rights to walk off the pitch in the middle of the game. If you know you aren't going to like it, don't go at all.
This is the exact attitude we don't need. Your saying that because there are racist people in Poland/Ukraine black footballers have to either accept that there is a chance they will be racially abused or not represent their country in a major tournament? Either your an idiot or trying to provoke a response, either way we don't need it on here.
I get where you're coming from Erik but the point is that they shouldn't have to accept it - and they certainly shouldn't be punished for finding racism offensive.
Tin hat on time again, because I just know I shouldn't mention this, but surely, to single out abuse based on skin colour (usually meaning only dark skin) over other forms of abuse is in itself racist and implies black players are more sensitive than fat bastards and rent boys.
Dutch, racism is not simply abuse based on skin colour as well you know. Comparing racism to abuse based on sexual orientation or weight is like comparing apples to arseholes, completely pointless. I suspect you know that too and I just fell for a trolling line. Meh.
