Downing Street will intervene on football's racism scourge 'if required'

The official spokesperson of the United Kingdom's prime minister, Boris Johnson, has urged football authorities to do more in their fight against racism and said the government will step in "if required," as quoted by the Guardian's Aamna Mohdin.

Downing Street said it intends to keep tabs on how football authorities and their clubs deal with incidences of discrimination in the country's game. The latest act of racism occurred Sunday when Chelsea's Antonio Rudiger complained of monkey chants directed at him during a match at Tottenham Hotspur.

Nigel Adams, the U.K.'s sports minister, is set to meet with Tottenham directors Monday to find out how the club intends to combat racism.

"Racism of any kind has no place in football or anywhere else and we must confront this vile behavior," Johnson's spokesperson said. "Clearly there remains more work to be done by the football authorities in tackling this issue and we are committed to working with them on this to stamp it out.

"The FA, Premier League, and English Football League have significantly stepped up their efforts, but we expect them to continue to prioritize this issue and to consult with both players and supporter groups, and we will be monitoring how the football authorities implement their plans through the season."

According to The Telegraph's Tom Morgan and Jason Burt, Downing Street added: "We will continue working with the authorities on this, including the Professional Footballers' Association, and we don't rule out taking further steps if required."

There has been a rise in reports of racism inside football stadiums in the U.K. During the same weekend in October, an FA Cup tie between Haringey Borough and Yeovil Town was abandoned due to racism from the stands, and a Manchester United fan was accused of directing racial abuse at Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold. The beginning of December was marred by a Manchester City fan appearing to make a monkey gesture at United midfielder Fred.

"I really hope that the offenders will be found and punished soon," Rudiger tweeted after Sunday's occurrence in north London, "and in such a modern football ground like the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with dozens of TV and security cameras, it must be possible to find and subsequently punish them.

"If not, then there must have been witnesses in the stadium who saw and heard the incident. It's just such a shame that racism still exists in 2019. When will this nonsense stop?"