&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "FIFA sanctions Lionel Messi's Argentina, five other nations for racist abuse by fans")
International football’s governing body (FIFA) has sanctioned Lionel Messi’s Argentina and five other nations for racist abuse by fans on Wednesday (Sep 3). The sanction includes international federations of Albania, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, according to the sanctions list published by FIFA from its disciplinary committee. While further details were undisclosed, it is also reported that FIFA has slapped a six-figure fine on the federations for failing to control their fans.
FIFA sanctions six nations
“The Albanian federation had the largest fine of 161,500 Swiss francs ($200,000) imposed for a slew of charges at a June 7 home game against Serbia, which also included disturbing a national anthem and transmitting "a message that is not appropriate for a sports event,” a report from news agency AP read.
At the time of reporting, Argentina were fined 120,000 Swiss francs ($149,000) by FIFA for a single charge of discrimination. They were sanctioned for the ill-fated incident on June 10 when the defending world champions faced Colombia.
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However, the biggest sanction came ahead of October’s huge contest between Albania and Serbia. While the two nations have been in hot water for political and diplomatic reasons, they were drawn together for the World Cup qualifying contest in June. The Albanian federation had the largest fine of 161,500 Swiss francs ($200,000) for disturbing the national anthem and transmitting unwanted messages.
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The two nations will go head-to-head yet again in October, this time in Belgrade. However, their sanction also includes reducing their stadium capacity by 20 per cent for a future competitive match. They happen to face Latvia in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match.
On the other hand, Serbia must pay 50,000 Swiss francs ($62,000) for racism and other incidents at a June 10 game against Andorra, and Bosnia-Herzegovina was fined 21,000 Swiss francs ($26,000) for racism and other offenses when hosting San Marino.
