The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) will punish teams that commit acts of racism with the loss of points, according to the general rules of the competition, approved on Tuesday.
In a statement, the CBF announced that it “will severely punish racist offenses in football” and emphasized that it is the first organization in the world to include in its regulations “the possibility of sports punishment of a club in the event of racism”.
The measure “will come into effect at the Copa Brasil”, a tournament with nearly one hundred teams from different categories from different Brazilian states and which starts on February 22.
“The fight against racism is in a hurry. The measures have been discussed for centuries and never put into practice,” said CBF President Ednaldo Rodriguez, quoted in the statement.
In addition to sports sanctions, “any and all acts of racism or discrimination of any kind” will be referred to the State Ministry and the Civil Police “so that the process does not freeze only in the sports field” and “offenders will also be punished by law.” “, the President concluded.
Actions taken by supporters are also included in the new measure guaranteeing the loss of points to the offending team.
On January 11, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva approved a law equating the crime of racial discrimination with the crime of racism and providing for tougher penalties for crimes committed at sporting or cultural events.
In May 2022, Portuguese footballer Rafael Ramos of Corinthians was arrested for alleged racist slurs against Internacional player Edenilson during a Brazilian championship game, but was eventually acquitted by Brazil’s High Court of Sports Justice.