FIFA to sanction Italian FA over Muntari racist abuse

Italian Football authorities may face FIFA disciplinary action over the way they have treated Sulley Munmtari regarding the racial abuse he faced while playing for Pescara in Italy.

Muntari, 32, was sent off after leaving the field claiming he was racially abused during a Serie A game.

He was initially banned for one game but had this overturned by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).

"We have a committee in charge of monitoring this and the committee will take action," Fifa secretary general Fatma Samoura told BBC Sport.

"What matters is that the committee has to act and the sooner the better.

"I have my personal feelings on anybody that is treated like he has been treated, on the pitch and off the pitch but I'm not here for my personal matters. I'm here to make sure that Fifa takes, through the committee, the appropriate action for any single discriminatory action."

Muntari: I'd walk off again if abused

I've been through hell and have been treated like a criminal

On Tuesday, Fifa president Gianni Infantino said he would speak to ex-Portsmouth player Muntari, who believes world football's governing body, and European equivalent Uefa are "not taking racism seriously".

"We will work together," said Infantino, who also said he intends to talk to the head of FIGC, Carlo Tavecchio.

"Unfortunately idiots, there are always idiots everywhere but we have to fight them. We have to work on the people."

Fifa was criticised for disbanding its anti-racism task force last September.

The organisation defended this decision, with Samoura saying that it had fulfilled the mandate for which it was set up in 2013.

Samoura adopted a different stance to Infantino, saying: "I don't have to call people anytime that they have been victim of an abuse."