Kane reveals talk on anti-racism protocol before Serbia clash | OneFootball

England captain Harry Kane confirmed this Monday that the players on his team had a “conversation” about UEFA’s three-step protocol for discriminatory behavior before playing against Serbia. The match will take place this Tuesday at 3:45 p.m. (Brasília time) in Belgrade, as part of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.

The two teams are playing a crucial match at the Rajko Mitic Stadium, whose capacity was reduced by 15% due to previous fan behavior. FIFA punished the Serbian Football Federation (FSS) for “discrimination and racist abuse” in a match against Andorra in June.

After the latest in a long series of unpleasant incidents, the FSS asked Serbian fans to “cheer in the right way” against England, who had already suffered racist attacks in 2019 against Montenegro and Bulgaria.

Kane was already captain during the matches with incidents in Podgorica and Sofia. The Bayern Munich striker said this Monday that the England players discussed UEFA’s protocols and are willing to leave the field if necessary.

“We had a meeting and discussed the protocols from UEFA’s point of view. I don’t think we like to talk about it too much. Our focus is on the game, on trying to beat Serbia on the pitch,” said the player.

“But anything can happen, of course, and we are prepared for that, but ultimately, we are not thinking about it,” he continued.

Asked if he is prepared to take players off the field during the match in protest against any racist offense, Kane replied: “We are prepared to do what UEFA’s protocols allow us to do.”

“We had a group conversation so that, if it happens, we are ready to do whatever is necessary.”

England coach Thomas Tuchel said he hopes that the decisive clash between the top two teams in Group K will go off without incidents in the stands.

“The FA officials spoke to us about it, yes. We are aware,” said Tuchel, whose team is five points ahead of Serbia. “And yet, I always believe in the good, so I always believe that we will have a high-level sporting competition and celebrate sport for what it is: a respectful and exciting match,” added the German.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.