Bruce demands Fifa action

Wigan manager Steve Bruce hopes Fifa take a firm stance on the 'pathetic morons' who racially abused striker Emile Heskey in Croatia last week.

The Football Association lodged an official complaint with Fifa following the game in Zagreb and the world governing body has now confirmed it has begun investigating the matter.

Croatia were fined £10,000 by Uefa after their supporters were found guilty of "displaying a racist banner and showing racist conduct" during the Euro 2008 match with Turkey, and Bruce has called for severe punishment following the latest incident.

"Fifa and Uefa have thrown the book at the English FA often enough over the years, so let's hope they throw the book at the morons who made those chants," said Bruce.

New sanction

"I'm glad they've made a stance because we thought we had seen the end of it, so I hope they give them more than just a rap across the knuckles and really sanction them the way they should be.

"At the end of the day, it's pathetic."

The Wigan boss feels Croatia have not made the same strides to eradicate racism as England over the last three decades.

"We have tried so hard over the years, since the 1970s and 1980s when we had huge problems," he said.

"Now we have all-seater stadia, we work with the local communities, and a football match is somewhere you can take your kids and enjoy the occasion.

"I remember there were times going back to when I was a kid when it wasn't quite possible because there was a hostility.

"But you don't see it very often any more inside football grounds, which is obviously pleasing to see."

Resilient

Heskey has previously endured racist taunts in Slovakia in 2002 and Bruce is confident he has the character to shrug off the latest incident.

"It's water off a duck's back as far as he is concerned," Bruce added.

"Emile was a kicking block in this country for many years for some reason, and I signed him in the middle of it when I was at Birmingham.

"The one thing about him is that he is a resilient so and so who takes it and takes it, but gets on with it.

"You never hear him complain or rant and rave because basically he is a big, quiet lad who gets on with his life and doesn't worry about things like that."

 

Source - Sky Sports