After a season full of ugly incidents of on-field racism from fans and players, European soccer’s governing body, UEFA, has decided to institute an automatic 10-game ban for any players found guilty of committing racial abuse.
This new punishment, however, will only apply to UEFA competitions, such as the Champions and Europa League. This means that each country’s respective league retains the right to decide how to deal with instances of racism. UEFA, however, has asked each country to comply with the 10-game policy ban.
UEFA has in the past also fined teams whose fans have heckled players for their skin color.
This season has been especially ugly when it comes to racial abuse. AC Milan star Mario Balotelli and American Jozy Altidore were notable victims of racially charged verbal abuse.
UEFA is hopeful that these new steps will see a reduction in on-field racism in the future.