PFA wants RADICAL changes: New type of punishment offered for RACIST fans

The Professional Football Association (PFA) will demand jail sentences as the main form of punishment for the fans that racially abuse players from the stands, Daily Mail reports.  Several incidents of 2019/20 Premier League campaign have made PFA to send an official statement to the government so that the law could be changed in the future.  Manchester United’s Fred, Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger and Tottenham’s Son Heung-Min are among the players that have reportedly been racially abused during the matches. However, police were not able to find those fans in some cases.  Following Tottenham - Chelsea match, PFA deputy chief executive Bobby Barnes spoke to Sport Minister Nigel Adams. Barnes has also raised the issue with FIFA and UEFA. “The PFA are happy to lead on this. We will be lobbying the government to increase punishments for those found guilty of racist offences at football. That includes handing down custodial sentences. There needs to be a bigger deterrent. Enough is enough. These are hate crimes.” chief executive Gordon Taylor has commented on the situation (quoted by the Daily Mail).  This would not be the first time that a fan could be sentenced to jail or racist chants. In 2017, a Manchester United fan was jailed for 16 weeks. However, PFA expects to make the punishment permanent and related to everyone. 

Image - Alex Morton/Getty Images/Mike Egerton/Press Association, via Associated Press

Source - Daily Mail

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