Dutch players who missed penalties suffer racial abuse, FA to act

The ugly spectre of racism has reared its head at the World Cup, with Dutch players who missed their penalties in the shootout loss to Morocco in the Round of 32 subjected to a torrent of racist abuse online.

The Dutch football association (KNVB) said that Justin Kluivert, Quinten Timber, and Crysencio Summerville were subjected to ⁠discriminatory, racist, and hateful comments on social media.

“We find this appalling, and we will file a case with ‘Meld Online Discriminatie’ (Report Online Discrimination).

“Once a report is filed, their legal staff assess whether the statement constitutes a punishable offence. This can lead to a formal complaint being lodged with the Public Prosecution Service, which may then initiate a criminal investigation,” ‌the FA was quoted as saying by Reuters.

“Football brings together ⁠millions of different people, whereas discrimination does the exact opposite. It therefore runs counter to everything football stands for,” added the KNVB.

In 2021, England’s Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, and Jadon Sancho faced similar abuse when the trio missed their penalties in the 2020 European Championship final loss to Italy.

The incident led to two people being sentenced to prison and another receiving a suspended sentence.

Racism remains a persistent problem in football, and for the 2026 World Cup, Fifa has introduced the “Vinicius Law”, named after Brazilian star Vinicius Junior, as part of its efforts to combat discrimination on the pitch.

The new rule prohibits players from covering their mouths while confronting opponents or match officials. Referees are empowered to issue a red card if a player deliberately conceals their mouth during a heated exchange.

The measure aims to prevent players from hiding abusive, racist, or discriminatory remarks from cameras, referees, and other officials.

The rule was introduced following a high-profile incident earlier this season involving Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni and Real Madrid forward Vinicius. During the match, Prestianni was seen pulling his shirt over his mouth while speaking to the Brazilian international, prompting allegations of racism.

Although Prestianni denied the accusations and was initially handed a provisional one-match suspension, a subsequent Union of European Football Associations (Uefa) investigation later found him guilty of homophobic conduct rather than racism.

He was handed a six-match ban, with three matches suspended.

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