FIFA and UEFA have let football down over racism, says Ferdinand

Rio Ferdinand says FIFA and UEFA have “let football down, time and time again” in failing to adequately address the issue of racism.

FIFA and UEFA have come in for heavy criticism from former England captain Rio Ferdinand for failing to adequately tackle racism “time and time again”.

Racism in football has come under the microscope this week following two high-profile incidents.

A group of Chelsea supporters were caught on camera stopping a black man from boarding a Paris Metro train prior to their club’s UEFA Champions League draw with Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.

The shocking behaviour came after Arrigo Sacchi, the ex-coach of Milan and Italy, had been quoted as saying Italian football “has no dignity or pride” because there are “too many blacks” and “foreigners” in top clubs’ youth teams.

Discussing the video footage of events in Paris, QPR defender Ferdinand told The Sun on Sunday: “It is a rude awakening for the whole game.

“To be fair to the FA [Football Association], they have done more than most to try to eradicate racism from the stands, but the game as a whole has to take a zero-tolerance approach.

“For years it’s been clear that FIFA and UEFA have shied away from doing what they needed to do.

“They have let football down, time and time again.”

Chelsea have strongly condemned the actions of those involved in the Paris Metro incident, suspending five people from Stamford Bridge to date.