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No leniency UEFA will close doors to fans if racist incidents continue
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) -- Racism in soccer will no longer be tolerated and will be punished by playing matches behind closed doors, European soccer's governing body said on Friday. Following a recent rash of racist incidents, UEFA's executive committee voted to give its control and disciplinary board the power to sanction a team for racist behavior by closing the door to supporters at ensuing home matches. "After a racist incident at a match, the disciplinary board can rule to have the home team play with closed doors for its next home match," said Aigner, following two days of executive board meetings. "We're sending a strong signal here. The executive committee shows they are unwilling to show any kind of leniency in this matter." Racism in top-level soccer is not new. In February, Italian authorities attempting to combat the increasing appearance of racist slogans and banners in the country's stadiums ordered games to be suspended to remove the slogans. Earlier this year, UEFA suspended Lazio defender Sinisha Mihajlovic after he called Arsenal's Patrick Vieira "a black monkey" during a Champions League match. Mihajlovic, meanwhile, accused Vieira of calling him a "gypsy."
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