The match between Poland and England was enhanced by a lively exchange of views between Polish defender Kamil Glik and his counterpart Kyle Walker. The Englishman then accused his opponent of racism, but did not march on FIFA for lack of evidence.
Glik and Walker met again at the end of the first half of the World Cup qualifying match in Qatar. Ultimately, the fight turned into a multiplayer fight, in which fellow Albion defender Harry Maguire also took an active part.
The England team nevertheless reported the incident to the match delegate due to racism at half-time. The Polish side rejected any xenophobic basis for the whole conflict. FIFA subsequently opened an investigation in cooperation with the two football associations.
“After examining all available documents, including match records, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee concluded that it would not initiate disciplinary proceedings against the Polish side due to a lack of evidence,” said declared a spokesperson for the world federation.
“This does not change FIFA’s strong position in the fight against all forms of discrimination. In this particular case, however, we have no evidence to warrant further investigation,” the report said.
After the fight, Glik and Maguire both received a yellow card. Later footage revealed Glik grabbed Walker by the neck early in the incident, causing a stormy reaction from the English. The two players then yelled at each other and visibly angrily headed for the half-time break in the bowels of the stadium.
The British Daily Mail points out that although Glik provoked the fight, the referees allowed him to go to the locker room before the players with three lions on his chest, before calling the Polish defender to give him a yellow card. The Daily Mail also appreciates the approach of Captain Harry Kane, which according to the waiter has helped the referees to calm the passions.
Glik later admitted to exchanging several scathing insults with Walker, but rejected the racism. He also stressed that the Manchester City defender did not want to shake his hand after the game.
FIFA took a different approach from UEFA in the case of Ondrej Kudely in his dispute with Finnish midfielder Glen Kamara, which took place in the spring during the European League game between Rangers and Slavia. Although there is no clear evidence of Kúdel’s alleged racism, the Czech defender was handed a ten-game penalty, which he managed to serve over the summer and early into the fall game. of the season.
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