Fifa has dismissed charges of racial abuse against a Spanish player accused of targeting England Under-17 international Morgan Gibbs-White during the 2017 World Cup final in India. The governing body cited insufficient evidence to corroborate the claim made by Gibbs-White's teammate Rhian Brewster.
Brewster told the Guardian in December 2017 that he overheard a Spanish player call Gibbs-White a “monkey” during the match. Fifa opened an investigation but announced on Thursday that it had decided to dismiss all charges due to a lack of clear evidence.
In a statement, Fifa reiterated its zero-tolerance stance against discrimination but noted that a sanction could only be imposed on the basis of clear evidence. The decision has drawn criticism from Kick It Out chairman Lord Ouseley, who described the outcome as “unsatisfactory” and questioned the handling of the case.
Lord Ouseley expressed concern that such decisions encourage further abuse and urged the Football Association to follow up with Fifa and Uefa. The case follows a similar incident in which Uefa dismissed allegations that Brewster was racially abused by Spartak Moscow's Leonid Mironov in a Youth League match.
