Anti-racist group calls for player protest

A leading Spanish anti-racist organisation has called on professional footballers to delay the start of next weekend's league matches as part of a plea for tougher action against racism in football.

The request came after Barcelona's Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o threatened to leave the pitch during Saturday's league match at Real Zaragoza after being subjected to racist abuse by a section of the home fans.

"We have asked the Spanish Association of Professional Footballers (AFE) to delay the kick-offs of next weekend's league matches by five minutes as a gesture of solidarity for their colleague Eto'o and as a way of demanding more effective action to eliminate racism from Spanish Football," the Spanish Coalition Against Racism (CECRA) said in a statement.

CECRA, an umbrella group that was asked to speak at UEFA's recent anti-racist conference in Barcelona, added that football authorities and the Spanish government had to take tougher action if they were to deal with the problem.

"It is no longer enough to parade banners and show films ahead of matches in our stadiums. These abuses constitute a serious risk to professionals who are being humiliated on the pitch.

"This serious problem, which is not just confined to radical fans, is now beyond the control of the clubs."

Spanish sports minister Jaime Lissavetzky said that he backed Eto'o's stance and said the government backed sterner measures against racism at football stadiums.

The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has punished clubs with fines of around 600 euros when their fans have been reported by referees to have been involved racist abuse.

The government-run Anti-Violence Commission has recommended fines of up to 6,000 euros for individuals who have been identified as being involved in such incidents.