FIFA watching after Weston McKennie targeted by racist comments in Italy
Italy’s Juventus Football Club banned three fans from rival club Parma on Friday for shouting racist comments at United States national team star Weston McKennie after a league match between the teams in August. McKennie, a Texas native who is Black, has played for Juventus in the Italian Serie A League since 2020 and has heard racist comments from fans several times during his professional career overseas.
How were the perpetrators caught?
Club officials said they used a “state-of-the-art surveillance system,” including multifocal cameras, to help law enforcement identify the three visiting supporters. Authorities say they heckled McKinnie as he cooled down after the match with his teammates.
The incident — and the technology used to catch the perpetrators — raises questions about how FIFA will combat racist language, gestures or chants during the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., Canada and Mexico next summer.
What is FIFA’s plan for the World Cup?
After the first few opening matches of the Club World Cup, a lack of anti-racism and discrimination signage led to criticism from fans. FIFA responded by playing a message on video boards before subsequent games in which several players repeated the same mantra.
“Rise up and play your part. It’s time to make a stand. Make your voice heard for football without racism. Say no to racism,” the players said during the video.
Despite the campaign, the issue persists at soccer matches around the world. Soccer’s world-wide governing body fined six nations on Sept. 3, including defending World Cup champion Argentina, for racist abuse by fans at World Cup qualifiers in June. The six countries officials said engaged in “discrimination and racist abuse” were Albania, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, according to the FIFA disciplinary committee. It did not provide details on the cases.
What has Gianni Infantino said?
FIFA President Gianni Infantino urged politicians and law enforcement professionals around the world to join his organization in the fight against racism and discrimination. He delivered a pre-recorded video message to the Red Card to Racism in Football event in May, saying criminal penalties should be imposed on offenders.
“FIFA’s Global Stand Against Racism called for the football world to take action,” Infantino said. “To educate, to raise awareness and when necessary to punish. Racism, discrimination — they are not just wrong, they are crimes.”
FIFA said it will use its “three-step anti-discrimination procedure” to tackle racism and discrimination if encountered at a match, whether in the stands or on the pitch.
That procedure involves players, staff and even fans using the “No Racism” gesture seen in the player’s video to alert officials to a violation. The next step would be a formal disciplinary process for any team personnel or fans involved — for instance, banning them from future competitions. The third step is sharing evidence for national-level prosecutions if local statutes apply.
Juventus referred to their own club code of conduct in deciding the punishment for the Parma fans. The club has previously dealt with similar incidents by visiting supporters following games in 2023 and 2024.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
