Banned Croatian player a reminder of need to halt hate speech

Banned Croatian player a reminder of need to halt hate speech

Sport officials call for co-operation between all stakeholders to continue efforts to stop hate speech and fan violence.

As Croatia takes to the field in the 2014 World Cup, it does so without one of its veteran players.

The absence of defender Josip Simunic, who received a 10-match ban from FIFA for using hate speech, is a reminder that divisiveness will not be tolerated in the context of sport, and the country's sport officials are working to address the issue.

On November 19th, after a 2-0 victory against Iceland in Zagreb that clinched Croatia's berth in the World Cup, Simunic took the public address microphone and said "For the homeland!" which was a slogan used by members of the Ustasha regime operated by the pro-Nazi puppet state during World War II. The Ustasha was responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Jews, Serbs, members of the partisan resistance movement and other innocent people, who were killed in concentration camps like the notorious Jasenovac.

Simunic, 36, received fines from the state and FIFA totalling 27,000 euros. He appealed his 10-match ban before a three-member panel of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland, which upheld the penalty last month. He previously played for Croatia in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.

After the November 19th game, asked about using the slogan, Simunic told reporters, "I do not fear punishment. Who is going to punish me? One should read a little history. I have not done anything wrong. I love my Croatia and your home. If it bothers some people, it's not my problem. I finally got a chance to do it."

In several interviews since, Simunic tried to justify his action...