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World Cup 2018: England players will stay on pitch if they’re targeted by racist chants

Gareth Southgate’s squad discussed the threat posed by racists and are ready to report incidents instead of walking off in protest

England have come up with a plan on how to tackle racism at the World Cup

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ENGLAND players will STAY on the pitch if yobs hurl racist abuse during the World Cup.

Gareth Southgate’s squad discussed the threat posed by racists and are ready to report incidents instead of walking off in protest.

 England have come up with a plan on how to tackle racism at the World Cup
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England have come up with a plan on how to tackle racism at the World CupCredit: AP:Associated Press

Russia were charged by Fifa last month after Paul Pogba was targeted as France beat the hosts 3-1 in St Petersburg.

But the world governing body could throw teams out of the tournament if they leave the pitch.


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England boss knows any incident could derail England’s bid.

He said: “We discussed this at length in March. What I’ll add is we work with players on supporting each other if anything like it happened.

 Paul Pogba was targeted during France's clash with Russia earlier this year
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Paul Pogba was targeted during France's clash with Russia earlier this yearCredit: AFP
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“There would be official protocol to follow if it did happen but we hope that situation doesn’t emerge.

“Most important is that, internally, we are able to support players and they understand how team-mates and staff are going to go about that.

“As a federation I think we would be strong in pushing for the right solutions within that.”

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