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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| FA to make U21 racism complaint | FA to make U21 racism complaint |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The Football Association will make a formal complaint to Uefa after two England Under-21 players said they suffered racial abuse in Germany. | The Football Association will make a formal complaint to Uefa after two England Under-21 players said they suffered racial abuse in Germany. |
| Micah Richards and Anton Ferdinand claimed they were called "monkeys" by opposition players. | Micah Richards and Anton Ferdinand claimed they were called "monkeys" by opposition players. |
| An FA spokesman said: "We will be formally communicating with Uefa in the next couple of days." | An FA spokesman said: "We will be formally communicating with Uefa in the next couple of days." |
| The incident overshadowed England's 2-0 win in Leverkusen which saw them qualify for the European Championships. | The incident overshadowed England's 2-0 win in Leverkusen which saw them qualify for the European Championships. |
| Interview: England U21 striker Theo Walcott | Interview: England U21 striker Theo Walcott |
| West Ham defender Ferdinand added: "It's in the hands of the FA and I am sure they'll deal with it in the appropriate manner. I don't want to say anything about it at this stage." | |
| Before the game, both teams lined up for a photograph behind an anti-racism banner but the match proved to be a tense and often feisty encounter, with both sides having a man sent off. | Before the game, both teams lined up for a photograph behind an anti-racism banner but the match proved to be a tense and often feisty encounter, with both sides having a man sent off. |
| This has to be investigated and it will have its consequences Uefa presidentLennart Johansson | |
| Uefa president Lennart Johansson has promised a thorough investigation into the claims, while the German football association (DFB) has promsied to question its players over the allegations. | |
| Johansson told BBC Radio Five Live: "This has to be investigated and it will have its consequences, that's clear. | |
| "It is for the disciplinary board to decide on a punishment. I won't speculate on the outcome but racism is a very serious issue." | "It is for the disciplinary board to decide on a punishment. I won't speculate on the outcome but racism is a very serious issue." |
| Previous incidents of racism have resulted in Uefa handing out fines to the guilty parties, but Johansson agreed that a more severe punishment should now be considered. | Previous incidents of racism have resulted in Uefa handing out fines to the guilty parties, but Johansson agreed that a more severe punishment should now be considered. |
| "I can accept that people think fines aren't enough anymore," he said. "If you try something and it has no effect then you have to look at other options." | |
| German officials have revealed they are in the process of questioning all the German players involved in the game and have already spoken to skipper Stefan Kiessling. | |
| "The first inquiry was made with Kiessling but yielded no results," DFB spokesman Harald Stenger told Reuters. | |
| "Now the Under-21 coach Dieter Eilts is contacting all the players individually. It might take hours or it could longer until he has reached them all." | |
| England midfielder Owen Hargreaves, who plays in Germany for Bayern Munich, said he hoped the incident in Leverkusen was a misunderstanding. | England midfielder Owen Hargreaves, who plays in Germany for Bayern Munich, said he hoped the incident in Leverkusen was a misunderstanding. |
| "You'd like to give the young German players the benefit of the doubt," he told Five Live. | "You'd like to give the young German players the benefit of the doubt," he told Five Live. |
| "Things might be said in the heat of the match, but I would think it was a language barrier thing, more a case of them being limited in what they're trying to get across. | "Things might be said in the heat of the match, but I would think it was a language barrier thing, more a case of them being limited in what they're trying to get across. |
| "I don't think they would purposely be racist, although obviously racism is still around." | |