Europe, Racism | featured news

If you were under the impression soccer’s racism problem is confined to the stands, let me introduce you to Paolo Berlusconi, a man who used a Tuesday political forum to describe the new face of his club as his “family’s little n—–.” Yes, this is still 2013, and yes, there is at least one person that still talks like this, let alone apparently feels something that corresponds to the words. That he’s the vice president of AC Milan and therefore one of Mario Balotelli’s new bosses may be the most disturbing part of this story.

This season matches across Europe have been punctuated by repeated outbursts of racism and on Thursday AC Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng took matters into his own hands after leading his side off the field of play after being subjected to racist abuse.

Britain's government has written to European soccer authorities demanding "tough sanctions" against Serbia after racist chants - including monkey noises - were heard at an international match with England on Tuesday night.

Triple jumper Voula Papachristou was expelled from Greece's Olympic team Wednesday for her comments on Twitter mocking African immigrants and expressing support for a far-right party... Commenting on the widely reported appearance of Nile-virus-carrying mosquitoes in Athens, Papachristou wrote: "With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!". Her tweet prompted thousands of negative comments that snowballed Wednesday.

A young woman who comes from England originally has been viciously assaulted in a Scottish city center in what police are treating as a racially motivated attack. Lucy Newman, 22, said she was hit so hard that she fell, hitting the pavement and fracturing her left cheekbone.