Fifa chief Sepp Blatter has admitted he would have backed England’s players if they had walked off in the face of racial abuse against Spain this week.
“Such a movement I would have understood. I would have supported their walking off,” Blatter told BBC Radio Five Live’s Sportsweek.
“We have to maintain discipline and respect on and off the field.
“When such a threat is in football in the future I think this would be a good remedy,” he added.
A number of England players were subjected to monkey chants at the Bernabeu.
“I was shocked and I am still shocked,” said Blatter.
“I am sad about these new expressions of racism in a stadium that has been a temple of football and I cannot understand that, and I say in the name of Fifa, I apologise.”
Blatter denied that by allowing teams to walk off in protest at racism Fifa would be opening up a can of worms.
“This would not be the case. This would be a matter we would never accept,” he said.
“Let’s be confident that by taking steps against such behaviour in the future we can avoid such situations.”
