List of All Articles with Tag 'on'

Bans for discriminatory abuse should at least match the sanctions imposed for betting offences, Anton Ferdinand has said. The former QPR and West Ham defender, who was racially abused by Chelsea captain John Terry during a Premier League match in 2011, challenged the game’s authorities to act tougher on discrimination, not just talk tougher. He also said the game’s executives should be the ones to instigate player walk-offs where there are instances of racism, rather than leave it to the players themselves. Ferdinand, who was speaking at an event at Wembley to mark the 30th anniversary since the launch of anti-discrimination group Kick It Out, said: “Football as a whole is very good at saying ‘all forms of discrimination are top of our list to eradicate’. But the actions don’t match the words. “How can it be at the top of the list to eradicate, but you can get an 18-month ban for betting and a four-match ban for racism or other forms of discrimination?” Four matches was the length of the ban Terry served in 2012 after the Football Association found he had abused Ferdinand, even though a criminal court had cleared Terry of the same offence. In contrast, Brentford forward Ivan Toney was banned for eight months in May for breaches of FA betting rules. Asked whether racism bans should be at least that long, Ferdinand said: “It should be around that. On the simple basis that if it’s the number one thing to eradicate, how do you eradicate things? There has to be a strong deterrent. “Right now there’s no accountability. A fan got banned for a long time (referring to a three-year ban issued to a Chelsea supporter for racially abusing Tottenham forward Son Heung-min). Is three years going to stop someone doing it? It might make them think, but is it going to stop them? No, I don’t think it will. If all of a sudden they can’t go and watch their beloved team again, they’re going to do more than think.” Asked if he meant life bans for fans, Ferdinand added: “If it’s the top of your list (to eradicate), why wouldn’t it be?” He also called for greater leadership from football authority executives when it comes to taking a stand against discrimination. Ferdinand said he had met with FA chief executive Mark Bullingham to discuss the issue. “As a player, if someone racially abuses us we’re not walking off the pitch. It’s not in us to do that,” he said. “We’re paid competitors. The thought process is: ‘If I walk off, they’ve won. This is what they want. They want me to walk off’. “I’m not saying it’s right, I’m just saying it’s the way we’re wired as footballers. To take that away, it can’t be just the player’s decision to walk off the pitch. “You can’t abuse the frameworks of an organisation, but you can abuse a player. I’m telling you now, if I’m in that changing room here at Wembley and Gareth Southgate’s going ‘Who wants to walk off?’ I’m not putting my hand up because I know what’s coming. “(The media) are going to find out who said they didn’t want to go out on the pitch, and what’s going to happen to that person? They’re going to get abused. Fact. “Whereas if Mark Bullingham goes in the dressing room and goes ‘Gareth, the players aren’t going on and we as the FA are going to make a statement that says we drew the players off, it was nothing to do with the players’ – that’s when we’ll start to see change.” Kick It Out published an Impact Report to mark its anniversary, which highlighted both the improvements over the last three decades and the challenges that still lie ahead. While 73 per cent of the more than 2,500 football fans surveyed for the report felt football was now more inclusive, even higher numbers remain concerned about the impact of online abuse on inclusivity and say more needs to be done to tackle discriminatory abuse in stadiums towards players and fans. Kick It Out chief executive Tony Burnett said the organisation is determined to tackle under-representation issues in the game, which first requires football to commit to providing transparent workforce data. Burnett said it was a “comforting lie” that society and football told itself that it was a meritocracy. Burnett and Kick It Out chair Sanjay Bhandari both spoke too about the importance of simplifying the process for reporting discrimination. Bhandari said there are currently more than 200 ways in which an incident of discrimination could be reported, and the Impact Report found only 18 per cent of fans who witnessed discrimination reported it. Despite the positive findings on inclusivity, Burnett said far more needs to be done to improve the culture. “It means having robust systems in place within football so that victims of discrimination are able to speak up and to feel supported appropriately,” he told delegates at Wembley. “It means having robust processes in place to ensure perpetrators are dealt with and not simply moved aside to continue spreading hate, no matter their status or their track record of success. A bully is a bully. A homophobe is a homophobe. And they should have no place in our game.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live We are sleepwalking into a disaster – PFA chief worried about demands on players Arsenal agree deal to sign Brentford goalkeeper David Raya Jack Conan remains injury concern before World Cup after missing Portugal camp

Suryakumar Yadav smashed 83 off 44 balls as India beat West Indies by seven wickets in the third T20 international in Guyana on Tuesday...

Green Bay Packers running back AJ Dillon’s goal as he enters the final year of his contract is evident from the title of the children’s book he wrote in the offseason

Arsenal has made quite the splash, agreeing to terms with David Raya on a new deal and finalizing the transfer with Brentford.

Logan Paul vs Dillon Danis has been added to the KSI vs Tommy Fury fight card in October. YouTube star Paul has boxed before, drawing with KSI in an amateur bout and losing to his now-business partner in a professional contest, and the American has also taken on Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition fight. Now Paul, 28, will return to the boxing ring – having spent much of the last year in the wrestling ring with WWE – as he fights Danis on 14 October. Danis, 29, is an ex-teammate of UFC star Conor McGregor and has fought in MMA promotion Bellator. The American is best known as a jiu-jitsu practitioner, and he withdrew from a boxing match with KSI (real name Olajide Olatunji) in January. Upon Tuesday’s announcement of the upcoming fight at Manchester’s AO Arena, Paul said: “Almost two years after fighting the greatest boxer of all time, I am so pumped to return to the boxing ring. “Manchester, I hope you are ready for a night you will never forget, because The Prime Card is delivering in a big way, with KSI and I on either side of a double main event. “The world has seen the energy, athleticism and showmanship I’ve brought to WWE, but this October I plan on reminding everyone that I can bring it to boxing, too.” Paul and KSI launched the energy-drink company Prime together in 2022. Danis added: “I couldn’t care less what Logan Paul has done in the WWE, because when he is in the boxing ring, he is in a completely different world. It’s a world of pain, a world where he doesn’t have control, and it’s my world – not his. “On 14 October, in Manchester, Logan Paul is getting beat down.” Paul’s younger brother Jake, 26, has boxed more frequently than his sibling, compiling a 7-1 pro record. On Saturday, Jake Paul beat ex-UFC fighter Nate Diaz on points in Dallas. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More KSI vs Tommy Fury: When is fight and how to watch Don’t sneer at the boxing crossovers – they’re lucrative, successful and here to stay Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz prize money: How much did fighters earn for boxing match? Tommy Fury promises knockout as KSI fight confirmed for October Anthony Joshua news LIVE: Next fight revealed after Dillian Whyte fails doping test Who is fighting on the Joshua vs Helenius undercard this weekend?

Dan Lanning's Oregon Ducks were able to flip former four-star USC commit Dakoda Fields away from Lincoln Riley's Trojans on Monday night.With Oregon heading to the Big Ten as well, the Ducks' budding rivalry with the USC Trojans is only just getting started.Oregon and Washingt...

Barcelona vice-president Rafa Yuste has confirmed that Ousmane Dembele is on the verge of completing a move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Colin Cowherd listed Dwayne Haskins among quarterbacks who can't win a Super Bowl.

Evan Brown hasn’t been handed anything during his time in the NFL

MLB rumors: Giants ace Logan Webb has nothing but good things to say about Ohtani, begins recruitment of himThis week, the Giants traveled to visit the Angels, giving them another front-row seat to see just how magnificent of a year Shohei Ohtani is having. Ohtani is a free agent this offseason an...

Chelsea have confirmed that winger Angelo Gabriel has joined French outfit Strasbourg on loan for the 2023/24 season. The winger only signed from Santos earlier this summer.

The Orioles have one of the best teams in the MLB, with more talent sitting on the IL. With this talent returning, that spells trouble for a few players.The Baltimore Orioles have one of the most talented and complete rosters in the entire MLB, especially after adding Jack Flaherty and more tale...