By Paul Nicholson
January 14 – CONCACAF has passed a new protocol for dealing with racist incidents during matches, The protocol becomes effective immediately and deals with serious and discriminatory behaviour by fans including chants, insults and banners.
Passed by CONCACAF’s executive committee, the three-stage process puts control, and responsibility, in the hands of the referee.
“The procedure outlines a clear and precise approach of zero tolerance for racist or discriminatory incidents that may arise during matches,” said CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb, who is also chairman of the FIFA Anti-Racism and Discrimination Task Force.
“By safeguarding the basic principle of respect amongst all individuals in our stadiums, we hope to make sure that nothing steers the focus away from the talent displayed by our players during each game.”
Under the new protocol the referee has clear guidelines by which to deal with incidents. First step is to stop the game while a stadium announcement is made warning spectators that if the racist behaviour that is interfering with the game does not stop the referee will suspend the match.
The second step is for the referee to carry out the suspension of the game by removing both teams from the pitch – the guidelines recommend the teams are off the pitch for a period of 5-10 minutes. During this time, the referee will consult with the Match Commissioner, security officer and the relevant police and stadium security authorities on the possible next steps, in particular any abandonment of the match.
The final stage is for the referee to abandon the match. The Match Commissioner, through the fourth official, will help the referee in determining whether the racist behaviour has continued following the suspension. The guidelines state that: “In principle, an abandon of the match is subject to the agreement of all parties involved.”
Post-match disciplinary proceedings will be handled by CONCACAF’s Disciplinary Committee that will decide on the level of the sanctions imposed on a case-by-case basis.
The confederation is to provide training for integrity officers, match commissioners and the match day refereeing officials to help them in monitoring for incidents during high risk games.
CONCACAF launched its Embrace Diversity campaign during the 2013 Gold Cup and the new protocol supplements the core messages of this initiative.
In 2014 there will be a number of educational initiatives as part of the campaign with sessions on awareness of diversity and discrimination issues being included in grassroots development courses and training for coaches and officials.
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