Caborn's fury at punishment

Sports minister Richard Caborn today hit out at FIFA for their lenient punishment of the Spanish Football Association for the racist abuse of England players in Madrid.

FIFA imposed a fine of under £45,000 with a warning that a repeat offence could lead to Spain playing a match behind closed doors.

Caborn believes a more severe punishment was justified after Ashley Cole, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Jermain Defoe were subjected to constant monkey chants during the match at the Bernabeu last month.

Caborn said: "It is an opportunity missed for FIFA to have stamped their authority on the incident and shown that football and sport in general is not going to tolerate racism.

"I hope now that in the longer term they will give authority to the fourth official to suspend matches where there is racist abuse of the type we witnessed in Madrid, and if the chanting continues then to abandon games altogether."

Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the PFA, also criticised FIFA, adding: "The Spanish FA have been given a yellow card, not the red that many would have expected. The general feeling in England will be one that the sanction is far too lenient."