International Football
Cameroon, Africans Get Anti Racism Protection
Cameroon, and indeed Africans can heave a sigh of relief as FIFA appears set to combat racism which is believed to be prevalent in Russia as regards to players of African origin. Monkey chants are common when Africans are on the field.
It is feared that such chants may come up when Cameroon take on Germany in Sochi next Sunday. Cameroon will open their 2017 Confederations Cup account this Sunday with a match with Chile in Moscow, but the greatest concern is the match next week in Sochi.
Just last month, in a Russian government sponsored public parade to herald the 2017 Confederations Cup, Russians in Sochi wore black painted faces and afro wigs to depict Cameroonians and were seen holding bananas as if they were monkeys.
The incident in Sochi, Russia has already triggered off what Cameroon should expect in Russia this year and the expectations of the five African teams that will feature at Russia 2018 World Cup.
But the world football governing body, FIFA, is taking steps to douse what could lead to potentially explosive situation.
The Olympic Games in the past had witnessed boycotts, even after teams’ arrivals as it happened in 1976 in Montreal, Canada and also in Moscow, Russia in1980.
FIFA events are yet to experience such. So, for the first time, Sports Village Square has gathered, in an official tournament, FIFA will use a three-step procedure in case of discriminatory incidents and also deploy anti-discrimination observers at all matches of the ongoing FIFA Confederations Cup 2017.
First, referees have been empowered to first stop a match and request a public announcement to insist that the discriminatory behaviour must stop.
The referee will suspend the match until the behaviour stops following another warning announcement, and finally, if the behaviour still persists, the referee will call off the match.
According to a media statement from FIFA, “anti-discrimination observers, meanwhile, are a natural continuation of the monitoring system that FIFA has put in place to monitor FIFA World Cup qualifiers and selected friendlies.
“The match observers are coordinated and trained by the Fare network, an organisation with a long track record of monitoring and fighting discrimination in football. Based on Fare’s ‘Global guide to discriminatory practices in football’, the match observers will monitor the behaviour of fans from both teams, as well as any spectators who are not affiliated to a particular team playing in the match.
“Should any discriminatory incidents occur during a match, the evidence collected by the match observers will be forwarded to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee for review and potential action.
International Football
Two Moroccan football players lost at sea, says club official
![](https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Abdellatif-Akhrif.png)
Two Moroccan players from top-flight soccer side Ittihad Tanger have been missing at sea since Saturday after strong currents drifted their small yacht, a club official said on Sunday.
They were in a group of five players from the club who went cruising off the northern city of Tangier when strong currents and heavy winds drifted their yacht away as they were swimming in deep waters, club deputy president Anass Mrabet told Reuters.
“Three players have already been rescued on Saturday, while research is still ongoing for the missing Salman Harraq and Abdellatif Akhrif,” he said.
The players did not have buoys on them when they jumped from the small yacht to swim, he said citing recounts by rescued players.
While Akhrif, 24, is already a full member of the squad, Harraq, 18, was about to move up to the senior team this year, Mrabet added.
Ittihad Tanger have been in the Moroccan top flight since 2015 and won the league title for the first and only time in their history in the 2017-18 season. However, they have struggled in the lower half of the standings in recent years.
-Reuters
International Football
FIFA launches ‘Football Manager’ World Cup with $100,000 in prize money
![](https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/arsene-wenger.jpg)
FIFA will host its first ever FIFAe World Cup of Football Manager this year to crown the best virtual manager on the highly-popular video game, world soccer’s governing body said on Thursday.
FIFA is partnering with Sports Interactive, the developers of the game that has sold millions of copies and has also been used by several football clubs to scout players and opponents thanks to its extensive database.
Players will compete for $100,000 in prize money in the final event from Aug. 29 to Sept. 1.
“This competition requires participants to demonstrate a profound understanding of football strategy and tactics,” said former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who is the ambassador for the esports event.
“Success demands not only mastery of game mechanics but also in-depth football knowledge, making this format a fascinating blend.”
FIFA said in the inaugural year of the event, selected member associations will be invited to be represented at the final event.
Member associations from all six confederations are expected to be invited while players can sign up on FIFA’s website.
-Reuters
International Football
Former Italy international Roberto Baggio robbed at gunpoint
![](https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/baggio.jpg)
Former Italy international Roberto Baggio was assaulted and robbed at gunpoint at his home in northern Italy while watching his country’s match against Spain in the Euro 2024 tournament on Thursday, local police said.
Burglars broke into Baggio’s house near Vicenza, hit him on the head with a gun butt and locked him and his family in a room while they stole jewellery, watches and cash, daily Il Corriere della Sera reported. It said he suffered a deep wound.
“Luckily, the violence I suffered only resulted in a few stitches, bruises and a lot of fear. Now it is to overcome the fear,” Baggio was quoted as saying by Italian news agency ANSA.
Baggio, 57, played for clubs including Juventus (JUVE.MI), opens new tab, AC Milan and Inter Milan. He also played 56 times for Italy, scoring 27 goals, and is widely seen as one of his country’s all-time greats.
After the robbery, Baggio, widely known as the “divine ponytail”, was treated at a local hospital where he received stitches for the head wound, Italian media reported.
Italy lost to Spain 1-0 on Thursday and now must avoid defeat by Croatia to guarantee progression in the tournament.
-Reuters
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