FIFA Introduces Racism Observers for World Cup 2018 Qualifiers

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has announced the introduction of observers to monitor incidents of racism and discrimination at the World Cup qualifiers ahead of the 2018 tournament in Russia, the federation announced Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The observers will be trained to recognize incidents of racism and report them to FIFA. The football authority will then impose disciplinary actions on the countries that were involved in the incident.

"The new monitoring system is a very concrete measure in order to ensure that football sends a clear message for diversity and against any form of discrimination," FIFA President Sepp Blatter said.

In 2013, Russian football club CSKA Moscow was charged with the racist behavior of its fans after Manchester City's Yaya Toure complained that people were making "monkey chants" against him.

Another Russian club, FC Anzhi Makhachkala's legendary Brazilian player Roberto Carlos has encountered several incidents of people throwing bananas at him during national league games. His teammate Christopher Samba has experienced similar difficulties.

In 2013, Russia's football authority vowed to crack down on racism at football matches. Since then, several clubs have been punished for the racist acts of their fans during games.

In March, the Russian Football Union appointed an anti-racism inspector.