Boateng to Meet Blatter to Discuss Racism
AC Milan’s former Portsmouth midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng is to meet with Sepp Blatter to discuss with the FIFA President ways of addressing and tackling racism in football.
The issue of racism and crowd behaviour has been particularly brought into focus in Italy recently, following a series of unsavoury incidents involving Italian clubs.
Boateng has been particularly selected for this meeting as he was subject to continual racist abuse whilst playing for AC Milan in a friendly match for the Rossoneri against Pro Patria. Far from accepting this treatment, Boateng walked off the pitch and refused to participate in the match any further.
Since then there have been further incidents in Italy, with the governing body of European football, UEFA, ordering Lazio to play two European ties behind closed doors after a series of incidents involving their supporters. The Rome-based club have already been fined over £120,000 by UEFA earlier this season after numerous Tottenham players were abused during a Europa League tie.
Boateng and Blatter will meet in Zurich on 22nd March, and will discuss possible solutions to what is apparently an epidemic at present in Italy. Boateng will be an ideal figure to discuss this issue, not merely because of his experience in Italy, but also because he has experienced a footballing culture in which racism has essentially been stamped out in England.
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