Statements and policies adopted by top football leagues

FIFA Unveils 'Global Stand Against Racism' with Five-Pillar Plan and Crossed Hands Gesture

May 16, 2024, 01:13 PM

FIFA has announced a new 'Global Stand Against Racism' initiative aimed at combating racism in football. The initiative includes a five-pillar plan and introduces a standard gesture of crossed hands for players to communicate racist incidents during games. FIFA urges all soccer bodies to mandate abuse as an offense and retains the existing three-step policy of pausing, suspending, and abandoning matches if racial abuse occurs three times. The new measures, including the hand gesture, are part of FIFA President Gianni Infantino's broader efforts to eradicate racism from the sport.