UEFA suspension for football president
October 7, 2014
Italian football federation (FIGC) president Carlo Tavecchio has been suspended from UEFA activities for six months because of a racist remark, European footballs governing body said on Tuesday.
UEFA said in a statement that "Mr Tavecchio will be ineligible for any position as a UEFA official for a period of six months starting from the communication of this decision" and "will not participate in the next UEFA Congress scheduled for 24 March 2015."
The ruling focused on a comment made by Tavecchio in July, criticizing clubs' reliance on foreign players while forgoing homegrown talent. Tavecchio noted that "Opti Poba" - a made-up African-sounding name - who "previously ate bananas" would suddenly get a first-team spot in Serie A.
Tavecchio later apologized - albeit saying he was guilty of a clumsy turn of phrase rather than racist sentiment - and was elected in mid-August.
"The decisions are not to be commented, but respected," Tavecchio was quoted as saying in response to UEFA's ruling, adding that "nothing changes as regards my position within FIGC."
The FIGC said that Tavecchio was not considering an appeal. "He has decided to avoid a long confrontation between UEFA and FIGC, which could have been settled only by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)," said the Italian football federation.
The Switzerland-based court could have been asked to decide whether UEFA could legitimately rule on the case after an Italian sports court had already cleared Tavecchio.
jh/msh (AFP, dpa)