March 8 – UEFA’s decision to take no action into claims of racism towards Liverpool England Under-17 striker Rhian Brewster has caused an immediate backlash in the UK with footballing and anti-discrimination bodies slamming the ruling.
Brewster said he was racially abused by Leonid Mironov in Liverpool’s UEFA Youth league win over Spartak in December but European football’s governing body said it could find no conclusive evidence.
Kick It Out said it was “deeply disappointed with the findings of the independent investigation, with this outcome likely to give further encouragement to those who wish to be abusive in the sport.”
“Kick It Out believes there are issues with clubs, such as Spartak Moscow, who have been involved in several alleged racist incidents in recent years, receiving little or no discouragement by national and international football authorities in response to allegations of racism and discrimination.
“This underlying issue is compounded with any action taken in relation to racist or discriminatory incidents rarely being appropriate. This current situation is intolerable.”
The English Football Association echoed Kick It Out’s disappointment. “While we are disappointed with today’s decision, we will continue to work with UEFA on how to best tackle incidents of discrimination in the future,” it said.
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