This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/mar/21/kevin-prince-boateng-united-nations-racism
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Kevin-Prince Boateng tells United Nations: 'We must confront racism' | Kevin-Prince Boateng tells United Nations: 'We must confront racism' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Kevin-Prince Boateng has told the United Nations in Geneva how he felt "angry and offended" when he kicked the ball into the stands and led his Milan team-mates off the field to protest being abused by fans of the Italian fourth-tier team Pro Patria during a friendly match in January. | Kevin-Prince Boateng has told the United Nations in Geneva how he felt "angry and offended" when he kicked the ball into the stands and led his Milan team-mates off the field to protest being abused by fans of the Italian fourth-tier team Pro Patria during a friendly match in January. |
| "Racism can be found on the streets, at work and even in football stadiums," he said. "There were times in my life when I didn't want to deal with this subject. I tried to ignore racism, similar to a headache that you know will go away if you just wait long enough. But that was [a] misconception. Racism does not go away. If we don't confront it, it will spread." | |
| The former France captain Patrick Vieira echoed the sentiment: "Racism is unacceptable. It's a crime which has no place on the football field or in any sporting event," he said. "Racist insults are frequent, very frequent, in fact more frequent than people think … No part of the world is spared." | The former France captain Patrick Vieira echoed the sentiment: "Racism is unacceptable. It's a crime which has no place on the football field or in any sporting event," he said. "Racist insults are frequent, very frequent, in fact more frequent than people think … No part of the world is spared." |
| Federico Addiechi, Fifa's head of social responsibility programmes, said strong words were not enough. "We know fines are not and may not be enough. Deducting points from a team could send a very strong message. Relegating or eliminating a team from a competition can send an even stronger message," Addiechi said. | Federico Addiechi, Fifa's head of social responsibility programmes, said strong words were not enough. "We know fines are not and may not be enough. Deducting points from a team could send a very strong message. Relegating or eliminating a team from a competition can send an even stronger message," Addiechi said. |
| The UN high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, said the now-infamous incident involving Boateng, replayed on YouTube and on a huge overhead screen on Thursday at the start of the hour-long UN discussion, shows the unfortunate continuation of deeply unpleasant acts during sport events, including during football matches. | The UN high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, said the now-infamous incident involving Boateng, replayed on YouTube and on a huge overhead screen on Thursday at the start of the hour-long UN discussion, shows the unfortunate continuation of deeply unpleasant acts during sport events, including during football matches. |
| "These deplorable acts of bigotry and violence have no place in the 21st century. They are an affront to human rights," said Pillay. As such they are illegal under international human rights laws, and are, as Pillay added, "particularly damaging" because of the importance of athletes and sporting events for young people. | "These deplorable acts of bigotry and violence have no place in the 21st century. They are an affront to human rights," said Pillay. As such they are illegal under international human rights laws, and are, as Pillay added, "particularly damaging" because of the importance of athletes and sporting events for young people. |
| "There must be accountability for racist offences" in sports, she concluded. "It is a crime and must be treated as such by sports authorities … The time to kick the bigotry out of football is now." | "There must be accountability for racist offences" in sports, she concluded. "It is a crime and must be treated as such by sports authorities … The time to kick the bigotry out of football is now." |