By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
May 23 – UEFA’s unprecedented crackdown on racism – involving 10-match bans and stadium closures – will kick in on June 1, while blood tests are to be routinely conducted across all UEFA competitions from next season.
UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino (pictured) today officially confirmed what he first announced last month by declaring UEFA wanted “to take action, not just talk and do something concrete” when it came to racial abuse which has been especially prevalent in parts of Europe in recent months, most notably in Italy.
The anti-discrimination package will be tabled at UEFA’s 53-member Congress in London tomorrow (Friday) when a resolution will be put forward recommending national associations follow suit though the English FA recently announced measures for five-match bans – half the UEFA recommendation.
From June, said Infantino, racial abuse by spectators will lead to clubs automatically being ordered to partially close stadiums for a first offence, followed by a full stadium closure for a second offence plus a fine. When it comes to players and officials, the minimum 10-match ban will take effect while minimum bans for players have also been increased for non-racist insults and assaults towards match officials – two to three games for insults and 10 to 15 for physical assault.
With regard to the fight against doping, Infantino said “a few hundred” blood tests would be enforced next season throughout all UEFA competitions while steroid biological passports, widely accepted in track and field, “will be considered for future implementation”.
Until now, blood tests have only been carried out alongside urine tests for the 2008 and 2012 Euro finals. “What specifically prompted blood tests is that we really wanted to do whatever we can to show that we want to have a clean sport,” Infantino told reporters following a meeting of the UEFA executive committee. “We have not made a lot of noise about this but …we thought it’s the right time to introduce this for all our competitions. Do we have concerns? No, but you can always do things more efficiently. You can never take the guard down.”
Significantly, UEFA have also lifted any time limitation on match-fixing allegations, meaning games allegedly rigged in the past can now be investigated and guilty parties punished.
And in another ground-breaking move, it appears that from 2015-16, the winner of the Europa League will qualify directly for the Champions League, a decision that will prove hugely popular with a raft of ambitious clubs and give UEFA’s second club competition badly needed bite and additional credibility. Infantino, with a smile, declined to confirm details, saying the new development first had to be presented to member nations at Friday’s Congress.
Finally, UEFA also announced that that the 2015 Champions League final would be staged in Berlin and the Europa League final that year in Warsaw.
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