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They were banned from games from July until September 30, 2024.

November 5, 2024, 12:56 p.m.

Two Geylang International Football Club (GIFC) fans were found responsible for racist chants, including “monkey noises” and using derogatory racist remarks against Tanjong Pagar United Football Club (TPUC) player Salif Cisse, July 19.

They were prohibited from attending All Football Associations of Singapore (FAS) staged matches until September 30, 2024 and were forced to perform community service after he hurled racial abuse at the player.

In addition, GIFC was given a suspended fine of S$5,000, with clubs held responsible for the behavior of their supporters.

Geylang beat Tanjong Pagar 5-3.

Formal complaint filed

After the incident, TPUFC filed an official complaint with the FAS on July 20.

On July 24, the two GIFC fans admitted to being the perpetrators of the abuse.

The official FAS investigation revealed that the racist chants lasted at least 15 minutes and were heard by Cissé, supporters in the stands and players along the touchline.

While the investigation was ongoing, GIFC also informed fans under investigation that they should not attend any matches until the investigation was completed.

GIFC also deployed additional security officers and worked with leaders of the official GIFC fan club to ensure order for supporters.

The GIFC leadership apologized in person to Cissé during a closed-door meeting.

Sanctions

Following the incident, both supporters were banned from attending all competitions and matches organized and sanctioned by the FAS from July to September 30.

Additionally, they had to complete 30 hours of community service through the GIFC.

The S$5,000 suspended fine imposed on GIFC was due to failure to comply with Article D of the FAS/SPL Spectator Code of Conduct, which requires clubs to be responsible for the behavior of their supporters.

Through the surveys, FAS also detected areas for improvement, such as the lack of an established protocol to address the issue immediately.

FAS will inform all clubs of the protocol regarding abuse in the stands, and fans should be empowered to report any abuse in the stands to security personnel.

Stadium commissioners and security personnel should also raise the issue with the match commissioner and the home club and be empowered to remove errant fans from stadiums.

FAS said the protocol will be established and disseminated as soon as possible.

The FAS said it would implement FIFA’s new three-step protocol, under which game officials must step up their efforts.

Referees must stop play as soon as they are informed of racist chants so that an announcement can be made demanding that the chants stop.

If this continues, play will be paused a second time and players will be evacuated from the field to allow the crowd to correct their behavior.

If this persists a third time, the game will be abandoned.

The protocol will be fully implemented by January 1, 2025.

More measures to combat abusive behavior

The FAS congress approved the creation of a permanent compliance committee as a broader measure.

The commission is responsible for establishing educational programs and protocols to prevent and protect individuals from all forms of abusive behavior in football.

The committee will be chaired by Michael Palmer and composed of four other members.

The committee will also be given special oversight over the Singapore Youth League to promote positive behavior in football and will act as the league’s disciplinary committee.

Best photos via Geylang International FC/Facebook