Ferdinand attacks UEFA over racist fans

Rio Ferdinand has launched a scathing attack on UEFA for their failure to stamp out racism in football.

The Manchester United defender is backing a European Parliament resolution that is calling on referees to be given extended powers to abandon matches where supporters make racially abusive taunts.

Ferdinand has grown increasingly frustrated with UEFA paying little more than ’lip-service’ to the problem, which has spread across Italy and Spain and into the heart of eastern Europe.

The 28-year-old was part of the England side when Shaun Wright-Phillips and Ashley Cole were singled out for monkey chants by Spanish supporters during last year’s friendly in Madrid.

World governing body FIFA imposed a £44,750 (€65,000) fine on the Spanish FA for the abuse, a punishment that attracted widespread criticism.

Since then, Paolo di Canio has defended his use of a fascist salute after Lazio games, while only last month, Barcelona’s Samuel Eto’o threatened to walk off the field in protest after he was racially abused by Real Zaragoza supporters.

Eto’o was also taunted in the corresponding fixture last year, yet the Spanish Football Federation fined Zaragoza a paltry €600, following up with a €9,000 fine for the latest offence.

Now, Ferdinand is calling for action.

“For too long now, European football authorities have not taken the problem of racism in the game seriously and refuse to acknowledge how widespread the problem is,” he said.

“I talk to a lot of European players and know there are big problems in Spain, in Italy and in eastern Europe.

“Just look at what happened to Samuel Eto’o. He was racially abused against Zaragoza and what happened? Zaragoza were fined a paltry €9,000 by the Spanish Football Federation.

“If he had reacted to the fans that were abusing him by gesturing to them, he would have been fined a couple of weeks’ wages at the very least but, yet again, nothing happens to the fans that abused him.

“It is time for UEFA to stop paying lip-service to the problem. The fines handed out after the England-Spain game were a joke. UEFA should look at imposing huge fines or deducting points within tournaments or competitions.

“If UEFA really is serious about kicking racism into touch they should adopt some of the penalties called for in the (European Parliament) resolution and get on with punishing those who defame the game we all love with their backward, racist views.”