Blatter on the rack as racism row escalates

FIFA president Sepp Blatter last night provoked a furious backlash after claiming racist abuse between players on the pitch should be settled by a handshake.

On a day when the FA charged Liverpool’s Luis Suarez with racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra, and with a racism investigation against John Terry still going on, in two TV interviews Blatter said racism on the field of play is not a problem.

His suggested solution was for a handshake to settle any issue — provoking Rio Ferdinand to express his “astonishment”.