FIFA Anti-Racism Protocol

FIFA Anti-Racism Protocol refers to the comprehensive set of rules and implementation mechanisms developed by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to address incidents of racial abuse in football matches. The protocol was unanimously approved on 17 May 2024 at the 74th FIFA Congress held in Bangkok, Thailand, by all 211 member associations affiliated with FIFA. The core elements of the protocol were established within the framework of the Global Stand Against Racism initiative, which encompasses five key areas of action. At the heart of the on-field implementation lies the “No Racism” gesture, used by players, coaches and referees to report racial abuse, triggering a three-step procedure.

The official approval of the protocol took place on 17 May 2024 at the 74th FIFA Congress. All 211 FIFA member associations unanimously endorsed this regulation, which adopts a zero-tolerance approach to racism. With this approval, the global cross-arm gesture and its associated three-step procedure became formally integrated into football protocol.

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The protocol’s on-field application was first implemented during the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia. FIFA announced that the global cross-arm gesture would be introduced at the tournament and applied as part of the existing three-step procedure.

The Global Stand Against Racism is a joint initiative by FIFA and its 211 member associations, pursuing a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of racism. Approved at the 74th FIFA Congress, the initiative focuses on five key areas of action: Rules and Sanctions, On-Field Action, Criminal Prosecution, Education, and the Players’ Voice Panel.

Under this area of action, it was pledged that racism will be defined as a distinct and serious offense subject to mandatory and severe sanctions in the disciplinary regulations of all 211 FIFA member associations. In line with this commitment, a new edition of FIFA’s Disciplinary Regulations was published, introducing strict anti-discrimination measures across all FIFA tournaments.

Under this area of action, it was pledged that matches will be halted, suspended or cancelled in cases of racism; a global standard gesture will be introduced to enable players to report racist incidents and referees to initiate the three-step procedure, and this gesture will be made mandatory across all 211 FIFA member associations. Accordingly, the “No Racism” gesture was introduced, the three-step procedure was implemented, training materials and tools for its application were developed, and spectator reporting and monitoring mechanisms were established.

Under this area of action, efforts will be made to ensure that racism is recognized as a criminal offense in every country. In countries where it is already classified as a crime, pressure will be applied to ensure that perpetrators face prosecution of appropriate severity. Within this framework, over 100 evidence packages identified by the FIFA Social Media Protection Service have been shared with relevant authorities, and initiatives have been launched to encourage criminal charges for racism in football.

Under this area of action, it was pledged that educational initiatives will be developed and promoted in collaboration with schools and governments to foster a future free from racism, based on the principle that no child is born racist. In line with this, visibility and educational activities for the “No Racism” campaign have been integrated into every FIFA tournament, “No Discrimination” lessons have been incorporated into grassroots football programs, player-led advocacy initiatives have been conducted, and the FIFA Diversity and Anti-Discrimination Good Practices Guide, the FIFA Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Department, and the FIFA Foundation Community Program have been established.

Under this area of action, it was pledged that a new Players’ Panel Against Racism will be established, composed of former players from around the world to monitor the implementation of these measures and provide recommendations. In line with this commitment, the Players’ Voice Panel has been activated. The panel consists of 16 former male and female players from all six confederations and diverse ethnic backgrounds.

The No Racism gesture became an official part of football protocol following its approval at the 74th FIFA Congress on 17 May 2024. It is designed to empower players, team officials and referees to take a stand against racism. In its application, players cross their wrists to signal to the referee that they have been subjected to racial abuse, triggering the three-step procedure.

The gesture can be triggered by three distinct actors:

• Referee: The referee, who directly observes the abuse or receives a report, uses the No Racism gesture to indicate the incident. The referee decides whether to stop the match.
• Player: The player targeted by abuse uses the No Racism gesture to report the incident to the referee, team captain or team official. The referee again decides whether to stop the match.
• Match Official: A match official who observes the abuse or receives a report informs the referee that the match should be stopped. The referee still decides whether to halt the match.

In cases of spectator-initiated racial abuse, the referee uses the No Racism gesture to initiate the Three-Step Procedure.

Following the referee’s acceptance of the No Racism gesture, a three-step procedure is initiated at the referee’s discretion. The steps are as follows:

In the first step, the match is stopped. An announcement in the stadium informs all parties of the reason for the stoppage and warns that the match will be suspended if the incident continues.

If the incident resumes after the match restarts, the referee suspends the match and directs both teams to their dressing rooms. Another stadium announcement reiterates the reason for the stoppage and warns that the match will be cancelled if the incident persists.

If the incident continues after another restart, the referee cancels the match. This step is only taken after consultation with relevant officials and experts and upon assessment that cancellation is the safest course of action.

No Discrimination is an awareness, action and education campaign aimed at eliminating all forms of discrimination from football. The campaign highlights that discrimination affects millions of people daily, hinders progress and opportunity, harms physical and mental health, wastes human potential and deepens social tensions and inequalities. It seeks to deliver strong and clear messages to spectators during FIFA tournaments and events.

The No Discrimination campaign was first launched during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar. Strong and clear messages were displayed on large stadium screens and advertising boards along the pitch. FIFA collaborates with the United Nations Human Rights Office to lead the fight against discrimination under this campaign.

The FIFA Social Media Protection Service was launched during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar. The service protects players, teams, officials and fans from online abuse by removing hate speech from social media accounts, enabling them to focus on their roles in FIFA events. Evidence packages collected by the service are shared with relevant authorities to support the prosecution of racism cases.