Fifa president addresses racism in Corinthians' U12 match

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·22 de outubro de 2025

Fifa president addresses racism in Corinthians' U12 match

By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Newsroom

This Wednesday, October 22, FIFA President Gianni Infantino used his social media to express his repudiation of the racism incident in the match between Corinthians and Manthiqueira, held on the morning of last Sunday (19), for the first leg of the Paulista Under-12 Championship quarterfinals, which ended with a 5-1 victory for Corinthians.

In the post, the official stated he felt “nauseated” upon learning that a 12-year-old Manthiqueira athlete had suffered racist attacks from Corinthians fans present at the venue: “I am disgusted to learn that a 12-year-old player from Academia Desportiva Manthiqueira suffered racist abuse from a fan during a Paulista Under-12 Championship match against SC Corinthians Paulista in São Paulo, Brazil,” he said in part of the statement.

Vídeos OneFootball

Photo: Reproduction/FIFA

In the match report, referee Guilherme Drbochlaw stated that he stopped the match using the anti-racism protocol at the end of the game after the Manthiqueira athlete fell to the ground following the aforementioned attacks: “Black, son of a b*tch, no family, go f*ck yourself!” were reportedly the shouts heard by the young player.

The player, in fact, did not return to the match due to being emotionally shaken, as also noted in the match report. A police report was also filed. Prior to the racism incident, the referee had already recorded, during the second-half technical timeout, that Manthiqueira players had complained about inappropriate behavior from Corinthians fans.

The fan responsible for the attack was caught in the act and taken to the public jail in Lorena, in the interior of São Paulo. Recently, the Paulista Federation held rounds 16 and 17 of the Paulista Under-11 and Under-12 Championships behind closed doors after a series of incidents of bad behavior by athletes' parents at the games.

Among the types of misconduct were prejudiced attacks against opposing children. The measure was also taken following a recommendation from the Sports Justice Tribunal (TJD-SP).

See below the statement from the FIFA president:

“I am disgusted to learn that a 12-year-old player from Academia Desportiva Manthiqueira suffered racist abuse from a fan during a Paulista Under-12 Championship match against SC Corinthians Paulista in São Paulo, Brazil.

The referee implemented the ‘No Racism’ campaign gesture to stop the match and action was taken against the perpetrator of the crime. I commend the referee for his quick and decisive action – we have a responsibility, especially and urgently to future generations, to eradicate racism and discrimination from our game.

I will continue to be very direct in this regard: racism and discrimination are not just mistakes – they are crimes. All incidents of racism, whether in stadiums or online, must be properly punished by both football and society as a whole. FIFA, including its Players’ Voice Panel, will continue to work tirelessly on the Global Positioning Against Racism to ensure a lasting and responsible impact both on and off the field.”

Official statement from the Paulista Federation

“The Paulista Football Federation publicly expresses its deep indignation and outrage at yet another act of racism. This time, it occurred in a Paulista Under-12 match this past weekend. In the game between Manthiqueira and Corinthians, a player from the home team reported being offended with racist words. Once informed, the refereeing team activated the Paulista Football Anti-Racism Protocol and the case was referred to the Military Police and the TJD-SP.

The FPF reinforces its repudiation of any and all racist acts and reaffirms that Paulista Football does not tolerate the participation of racists in its competitions. It is even more shocking that, in this case, it is an act against a child who is simply playing football. The FPF will remain vigilant and active so that no person, especially children, become targets of crimes like this.”

Statement from Corinthians

“Sport Club Corinthians Paulista deeply regrets what happened last Sunday (19) in the match involving its Under-12 boys’ football team against Manthiqueira. Corinthians reinforces its repudiation of any discriminatory act and is closely monitoring the unfolding of the facts, making itself available to the authorities to cooperate as needed.”

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