Soccer-Dutch league plans one-minute protest against racism

Players in the top two divisions of Dutch football will standstill for the first minute of matches this weekend as a protest against racism, the top-flight Eredivisie has said https://eredivisie.nl/nl-nl/nieuwsbericht/profclubs-houden-een-minuut-benen-stil-tegen-racisme. An anti-racism message will be also displayed on scoreboards during the opening minute at Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie games and an extra minute will be added to first-half injury time.

The move comes after Excelsior forward Ahmad Mendes Moreira was racially abused by a section of FC Den Bosch supporters last weekend, with the game suspended for half an hour after the referee decided to take the players off the pitch. The Dutch football association has said it would investigate the incident and look into possible sanctions against Den Bosch and its supporters.

A series of racist incidents has tainted European football recently. Italian striker Mario Balotelli threatened to walk off the pitch after receiving alleged racist abuse earlier this month while Shakhtar Donetsk forward Taison was shown a red card for reacting to racist jeers from the crowd during a match.

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