Discrimination and racism in football: regulatory framework and reporting tools

In July 2025, during the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, homophobic chants were reported at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta during the Borussia Dortmund vs. Monterrey. FIFA displayed a warning that the match would be suspended if they continued. Weeks earlier, FIFA itself had been criticized for withdrawing its anti-discrimination messages from the tournament — a decision it partially reversed after public pressure.

The incident illustrates the tension between what the regulations say and what happens in practice. TheFIFA Disciplinary Code(September 2025 edition) has one of the most detailed anti-discrimination frameworks in world sport. But implementation depends on 211 member federations with very different resources, cultures and political wills.

In this article I explain the complete regulatory framework against discrimination and racism in football, the reporting tools available, and the rights that a player who is a victim of discriminatory abuse has.

What this article covers

Art. 15 of the Disciplinary Code: FIFA's anti-discrimination framework
What conduct is prohibited and who can be sanctioned
Sanctions on people: minimum 10 games
Sanctions on clubs and federations: up to exclusion and relegation
The referee's three-level procedure
The player's gesture of complaint during the match
Rights of the victim in disciplinary proceedings
FIFA Tools: Social Media Protection Service and "No Discrimination"
Prevention plans: how a club can mitigate sanctions
What is missing: the gap between norm and practice

Art. 15 of the Disciplinary Code: the complete framework

Art. 15 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (September 2025 edition) is the central rule against discrimination and racist attacks. Its scope is broad: it coversany person subject to the Code(players, officials, leaders, agents, support staff) and extends to the conduct of thefansthrough the responsibility of clubs and federations.

What is prohibited?

Any conduct that threatens the dignity or integrity of a country, a person or a group of people using derogatory, discriminatory or humiliating words or actions for reasons of:

Race or skin color

Ethnic, national or social origin

Gender

Disability

Sexual orientation

Tongue

Religion

Political positioning

Purchasing power

Place of birth

Any other status or reason

The list isopen(includes "any other status or reason"), which allows it to be applied to forms of discrimination that are not expressly listed.

Sanctions on individuals

Minimum 10 games or a certain period.The minimum penalty for discrimination is at least10 game suspension, or an appropriate period of time, or any other disciplinary measure (art. 15, par. 1). It is one of the highest minimum penalties in the entire Code — higher than the penalty for violent conduct (3 games) or aggression (3 games). This reflects the seriousness with which FIFA treats discrimination.

Federations and clubs also have the obligation toprohibit entry into stadiumsto any person accused or found guilty of racist attacks against players, referees, coaches or other officials, whether in the stadium, on social networks or in any media (art. 15, section 2).

Sanctions on clubs and federations

When one or more fans of a club or a team commit discriminatory acts, the sanctions against the club or federation escalate progressively:

Level	Sanction
First offense	Match with limited number of spectators + minimum fine of CHF 20,000. Exceptionally, it can go up to CHF 5,000,000 if the attack is against a player, referee, coach or official.
Recidivism or repeated incidents	Mandatory prevention plan, fine, deduction of points, games behind closed doors, ban on playing in a stadium, loss by resignation,exclusion from competitionodowngrade.
Definitive suspension of the match due to discrimination	Except in exceptional circumstances,defeat due to resignation or withdrawalfor the responsible club.

Non-fault liability:As with [violence](/blog/violence-in-football-legal-responsibility-of-clubs-federations-and-players), the responsibility of the club for discrimination of its fans isobjective. The club is liable even if it proves that it was not negligent in the organization of the match (art. 15, section 6, in relation to art. 17, section 2).

The FIFA procedure at three levels

Art. 15, section 3, formalizes thethree-level procedurewhich the referee applies when he detects a racist or discriminatory attack during a match:

Level 1 — Interruption:The referee interrupts the match. The organizer is asked to intervene to stop the behavior. Personnel are deployed to the affected section of the stadium.

Level 2 — Temporary suspension:If the behavior continues, the referee temporarily suspends the match. The teams go to the locker room. A period of time is given for the behavior to stop. Identified aggressors may be expelled from the stadium if the victim player requests it.

Level 3 — Permanent suspension:If nothing works, the referee suspends the match permanently.

The player's gesture of complaint

Art. 15, section 4, recognizes a specific right of the victim player: he caninform the refereeof racist aggression throughofficial FIFA gestureor in any other way. The arbitrator can then immediately activate the first level of the procedure.

In addition, if the second level (temporary suspension) has been applied, the victim player canrequest expulsion from the stadiumof people identified as aggressors, when possible.

Rights of the victim in disciplinary proceedings

Art. 15, section 8, recognizes specific procedural rights for victims of discrimination:

Victim statement
You may be invited by the judicial body to make an oral or written statement. If the club does not provide sufficient evidence to deny the attack, the victim's statement is accepted (art. 15, section 5).

Access to the reasoned decision
The victim has the right to request the decision with its complete reasons, not just the operative part.

Right of appeal
The victim can appeal against the decision and act as a party in the appeal procedure.

These rights are a relatively recent addition to the Disciplinary Code and represent a significant advance: the victim is not just a witness — she is aparty with its own procedural rights.

Prevention plans: how to mitigate sanctions

Art. 15, section 7, offers amitigation pathwayfor clubs and federations: the judicial body can apply sanctions below the minimum if the club undertakes to work with FIFA in acomprehensive planthat includes at least three areas:

Educational activities:Communication campaign aimed at fans and the general public, with frequent review of its effectiveness.

Stadium security and dialogue measures:Protocol to identify offenders, protocol to refer cases to judicial authorities, dialogue with fans and influencers.

Alliances:Work with fans, NGOs, experts and interest groups to advise, support and implement the plan.

A club with a prevention plan approved by FIFA has a better position.If you already have an active plan when an incident occurs, the Disciplinary Commission may consider that the club acted in good faith and apply reduced sanctions. This is not an exemption — it is a mitigation. But in practice, the difference between having a plan and not having one can be the difference between a fine and an exclusion from competition.

FIFA Tools

"No Discrimination" Campaign

FIFA maintains a permanent campaign against discrimination, with specific days dedicated to the issue in FIFA competitions. The campaign includes messages in stadiums, captains' armbands, and audiovisual content with elite players.

FIFA Social Media Protection Service

FIFA implemented a social media protection service that monitors discriminatory abuse directed at players during FIFA competitions. This service was recognized by external stakeholders as a proactive measure and is part of the protection package that FIFA offers during its tournaments.

"Red Card to Racism"

In May 2025, FIFA launched the "Red Card to Racism" campaign in cooperation with theUNODC(United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime), bringing together legislators, criminal justice experts and football stakeholders to strengthen legal frameworks against racism in sport.

The gap between norm and practice

FIFA's regulatory framework is robust on paper. But implementation faces real challenges:

Underreporting:The culture of silence continues to be a problem, especially in grassroots football. Many incidents are not reported due to fear of retaliation or distrust in the system.

Unequal capacity of federations:FIFA set December 2025 as the deadline for all member associations to adapt their disciplinary codes to the new framework. But the disparity in resources, infrastructure and political will among 211 federations makes uniform implementation an ambitious goal.

Inconsistency in visibility:The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 controversy — where FIFA removed anti-discrimination messages from the tournament and then partially reinstated them after public pressure — exposed a gap between stated commitment and concrete action.

What to do if you are a victim of discrimination

Your options as a player

During the match:Use the official FIFA gesture or inform the referee in any way. The referee can activate the three-level procedure.
On social networks:Report the abuse to your club, your federation and FIFPRO. During FIFA competitions, the Social Media Protection Service may intervene.
After the match:File a formal complaint with the FIFA Disciplinary Committee through the legal portal, or contact your players' union.
Request your victim statement:If the Disciplinary Commission opens a procedure, you have the right to make a statement and participate as a party in the process.
Criminal complaint if applicable:In many countries, racist attacks are criminal offences. FIFA disciplinary sanctions do not exclude criminal proceedings.
Contact your union:FIFPRO and national unions have teams dedicated to assisting players who are victims of discrimination.

This guide is based on the FIFA Disciplinary Code (September 2025 edition, art. 15), the FIFA "No Discrimination" campaign, FIFA communications on "Red Card to Racism" (May 2025), reports from FERW, Sport & Rights Alliance, Yahoo Sports and Al Jazeera Liberties on Club World Cup 2025, and the FIFA Social Media Protection Service. This guidance is informative and does not replace the advice of a specialized attorney.

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Discrimination and racism in football: regulatory framework and reporting tools