Brazil protests to FIFA over racism against under-20 player

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) on Wednesday said it has filed a protest with world governing body FIFA after defender Robert Renan was racially abused following a U20 World Cup match.

Insults were directed at Renan as he left the pitch at the Ciudad de la Plata stadium in Argentina where Brazil beat Tunisia 4-1 in the tournament’s Round of 16, CBF said.

The player, who was sent off after 45 minutes, was then subjected to racism on social media. After the match, Renan shared on Instagram screenshots of racist messages he received.

“The profiles (of racist social media users) have already been filed by CBF and will be sent to the local courts and FIFA with the request for punishment,” CBF said.

“CBF vehemently condemns any kind of discriminatory action in football and will no longer tolerate such cases in the sport,” it said.

CBF said it is the first football body to adopt in its regulations the possibility of sanctioning a club in cases of racism.

On Friday, CBF announced that Brazil will play friendly matches against Guinea and Senegal as part of a campaign in support of forward Vinicius Jr, who has been racially abused while playing for Real Madrid in the Spanish league this season.

-Reuters