PFA chief Gordon Taylor has called for FIFA boss Sepp Blatter to stand down following his comments about racism in the game.
PFA chief insists FIFA boss must step down
Professional Footballers' Association chief Gordon Taylor has called for FIFA boss Sepp Blatter to stand down following his comments about racism in the game.
Blatter has created uproar following his latest remarks, saying that even if a player is racially abused on the pitch a mere handshake at the end of the game should be sufficient to deal with the matter.
Now leading figures in football are calling on the veteran Swiss official to stand down.
"I can't believe it when I heard them [Blatter's quotes]," Taylor told
Sky Sports News.
Embarrassing
"I just felt this was a bridge too far, the straw that broke the camel's back - he made offensive comments some time ago about female footballers and then more recently he was very homophobic in Qatar.
"We have had the World Cup bid process, we have had corruption in his own back-yard, the total failure to use technology to get justice on the field - but this just goes beyond the line to talk like he did - it just shows he is totally out of tune and out of time.
"He should move aside for Michel Platini, it is embarrassing - if one person should get it about racism it is the head of FIFA, which has 200 countries in the world, is so diverse with different cultures, creeds and colours.
"Everyone should be upset about those comments, I feel they were embarrassing, if you are the head of a football organisation you need followers and anybody who can follow him after that should feel ashamed of themselves."
When asked if Blatter needs to step down, Taylor replied: "Without a shadow of doubt.
"He doesn't understand how divisive racism is - it creates 'them and us'. Football should be about pulling people together in society, that is what we are working hard on in England and why we are educating children, racism is caught not taught, we want a world where nobody even thinks about prefacing what they say with the colour of a person's skin.
"But when you have the head of the world body saying that anyone on the receiving end on the pitch of racism should just treat it as part of the game and shake hands, it is outrageous and he is just not with it."
England
Taylor admits that Blatter's comments come at a bad time, given the current racism allegations in the English game involving John Terry and Luis Suarez.
"Certainly it comes at a time, that it is decisive," said Taylor.
"If we are going to be a civilised society we have to believe we are all equal and we need to educate our children and sport has to play a part in that."
Taylor says talks are on-going over both Terry and Suarez, adding: "I have dealt with the situation as it is a matter of concern for our members.
"I am disappointed the Terry and Ferdinand (hearing) can't be held as the police have their own enquiry but we have to grasp these nettles and deal with them and let the truth come out and make sure our equality programmes are continued to be rolled out.
"I don't want to pre-judge cases that are on-going, it is not just about having someone hung drawn and quartered, you have to have sanctions but it is an education process."
