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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin yesterday described as “idiots,” football fans who are involved in racist attacks on players.

 In an interview with Chronicle Sport at Camp Amalinda on the outskirts of Bulawayo where he is on holiday with his family, Ceferin called upon central governments to take an active role in helping football authorities fight the vice.

The Uefa boss becomes the second sports personality to describe racism perpetrators as idiots after Tottenham Hotspurs defender Jan Vertonghen said the same thing recently.

Racism in football has been disturbingly on the increase in a number of European leagues especially the Serie A in Italy and the English Premier League.

Ceferin said football authorities alone can’t fight racism in the game as they have no arresting powers that might see perpetrators being arrested and sent to prison.

“We are fighting racism which is a kind of a cancer for football, but it’s a world problem, football is always a reflection of society and we are fighting it but we need the help of governments. I have told many Prime Ministers around Europe that they must not just speak but they need to help us because we are not police, we can not put people in prison. We have to educate young people, schools should come on board and everyone should join in and stop those idiots called racists,” said Ceferin.

Last month, the British government came out in the open and condemned racism in football saying it will not hesitate to take further steps if football authorities fail to deal with the scourge. This was after some racist chants during a Premier League match between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspurs.

“Racism of any kind has no place in football or anywhere else and we must confront this vile behaviour. Clearly there remains more work to be done by the football authorities in tackling this issue and we are committed to working with them on this to stamp it out.

“The FA, Premier League and English Football League have significantly stepped up their efforts, but we expect them to continue to prioritise this issue and to consult with both players and supporter groups, and we will be monitoring how the football authorities implement their plans through the season.

“We will continue working with the authorities on this, including the Professional Footballers’ Association and we don’t rule out taking further steps if required,” read a statement from the British Prime Minister’s office.