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FA unveils new plan to combat football racism

A crisis meeting was held after the spat between Luis Suarez (left) and Patrice Evra (right). Credit: Martin Rickett/PA Archive

The Football Association has unveiled a new "collective" plan to combat all forms of discrimination in the English game following recent racism scandals in the Premier League.

The Anti-Discrimination Action Plan was born out of a Downing Street summit, held after the high-profile spat that saw Liverpool striker Luis Suarez fined £40,000 and banned for eight matches for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.

February's meeting was attended by the football authorities, former players, campaign groups and the Prime Minister. Since then, Chelsea captain John Terry has also been banned for four games and fined £220,000 for racially abusing Anton Ferdinand.

Announcing the new plan today, FA Chairman David Bernstein said eradicating discrimination "continues to be a top priority for me."

He said the new plan shows a "collective commitment" on behalf of English football to making the game "inclusive and free of discrimination."