Germany pledges racism crackdown

Sports Illustrated
SI.com
Posted: Monday December 11, 2006 11:42AM; Updated: Monday December 11, 2006 11:42AM

HEIDELBERG, Germany (AP) -- German soccer president Theo Zwanziger promised Holocaust survivors a crackdown on the surge of racism in the country's stadiums.

Zwanziger said Monday that a new task force will use the Internet to track incidents, with offending clubs facing the threat of fines, point penalties and playing in empty stadiums if they can't control their fans.

"With a new tracking system we want to know every weekend where there were problems with fans at the 80,000 matches, and which clubs have to be held responsible for the unbearable and sometimes open racism," Zwanziger said.

Zwanziger met with the Central Council of Sinti and Roma in Heidelberg -- which included Holocaust survivors -- after racist chanting was heard recently at nearby stadiums in Ulm, Kaiserslautern and Karlsruhe.

Since hosting the World Cup in June, Germany has been alarmed series of violent incidents, from the professional level down to youth and amateur matches played each weekend.

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