FIFA orders fines and stadium sanctions against six nations in World Cup qualifying
soccer
FIFA fined six soccer federations 20,000 to 26,500 Swiss francs ($24,400 to $32,200) each for discrimination offenses at World Cup qualifying games in March.
Albania's federation also was ordered to cut the capacity of its stadium by 20%, or fill the seats with 'community and/or special interest groups.' Albania's next home game is against Serbia on June 7.
Ecuador, which hosts Brazil on June 5, must cut capacity by 25% or fill the section with community groups, FIFA said in published sanctions from its disciplinary panel.
Paraguay, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Indonesia also were fined and ordered to reduce stadium capacity at their next home games in World Cup qualifying.
The acts of discrimination were not specified by FIFA.
Qialifiers resume in two weeks for the 2026 World Cup being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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