FIFA’s anti-racist task force, led by Webb, disbanded

(CNS): The beleaguered world football body, FIFA, came under fire Monday following news that the association had disbanded the anti-racism task force, declaring the work complete. The task force was created by former president Sepp Blatter and was headed by Cayman’s Jeffery Webb until his arrest in Zürich last year in the massive corruption scandal that has engulfed the football body. Despite ongoing concerns about allegations of racism in Russia, which is hosting the 2018 World Cup, FIFA wrote to members saying the mission was fulfilled and the task force was no longer operating.

Webb, who established a code of practice, was replaced by Congolese federation president Constant Omari, but members have said that there were no further meetings after Webb’s departure. Members on the task force were told in a letter that FIFA was “delighted to inform you that all of the task force’s recommendations have been implemented and all resulting projects are ongoing”.

But research from the Moscow-based SOVA Center and the UEFA-affiliated FARE Network reported a surge in the number of racist displays by Russian football fans, with most cases going unpunished. Researchers logged 92 incidents of discriminatory displays and chants by Russian fans in and around stadiums in the 2014-15 season, against a total of 83 for the previous two seasons put together.