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Blatter warns players not to run away from racism

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has warned players that running away from racism is not the right way to deal with the issue.

AC Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng and his team-mates walked off the field after he was subjected to abuse during a recent friendly match with Pro Patria.

Many players including Rio Ferdinand and Patrick Vieira praised Boateng for standing up to the racists, but Blatter responded to the incident by insisting players should not leave the pitch.

Blatter is adamant the game should always go on whatever the provocation, but he does admit that greater sanctions need to be placed on guilty parties if football is to effectively combat racism.

‘I think we can never do enough to eradicate all the racism in football,’ Blatter said. ‘We have already tried and you have given, in Great Britain, the best example of how to eradicate violence in football with the modern stadia, with the controls and education that this is the one thing.’

In a bid to give more bite to their anti-racism stance, FIFA last week ordered the Bulgarian and Hungarian football associations to play a game behind closed doors in response to fans chants.
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