Platini: 'Racism a reflection of society'

Michel Platini, President of European football’s governing body, this week, said racism in football was a ‘reflection of society’ and not just an issue within football.

The UEFA chief was speaking at a United Nations conference and insisted racism in football must be eradicated as part of wider efforts, with the help of governments, to tackle the problem generally.

The former France international said: “I have often said football, which is the most popular sport worldwide, reflects the society in which it thrives. It reflects its values and it reflects unfortunately, its prejudices, its fears and its distrust.”

UEFA and FIFA have upped their efforts to stamp out racsim in recent years with heavier sanctions and in May, FIFA created an anti-racism taskforce.

But high-profile cases continue to hit the headlines — most recently in Ukraine prompting campaigners to demand increased efforts to eradicate racism on and off the pitch.