Yaya Toure hasn’t made it to any match day squad in City’s opening three matches of the season
LONDON, United Kingdom, Sep 27 – Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has slammed the decision by FIFA to disband it’s anti-racism task force, labelling the body as complacent and the move as nonsensical.
The Ivorian was a consultant to the group and has joined anti-racism body Kick It Out in voicing condemnation of the decision.
Toure issued a statement on his website that read: “When I was asked by FIFA to help with the fight against racism in football, I didn’t think twice. I have experienced racism all my life – be that in the streets or in the stadiums.
“So to help address this was my responsibility – a way of preventing other players and fans from going through the same issues I had found in my career.
“When I received the letter telling me the FIFA task force was to be discontinued I was very disappointed. The letter listed the good work that had been carried out as a result of the task force’s advice and recommendations.
“So my question is, after failing to deal with racism sufficiently for decades – why stop when something is beginning to work? Are FIFA being complacent ahead of a World Cup in Russia? This makes no sense.
“The task force brought together the expertise of campaigners, football administrators and players. It was a resource that gave Fifa the expertise they clearly did not have before. As a group, the task force could help shape and put in place the most effective initiatives to keep players and fans safe.
“The task force could question when Fifa were not delivering on it’s promise to do as much as they could in this area.
“My only hope is that Fifa have thought this through. The letter I received does not fill me with confidence. It will be the fans and players that suffer if Fifa do not get this right.”
