A racial abuse investigation involving a Spain player allegedly insulting an England player at the Under-17 World Cup final in October has been closed by FIFA because of a lack of evidence to support the England player's claim. Morgan Gibbs-White, the Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder,
was allegedly called a "monkey" by an unidentified Spain player following an incident during the game, U17s teammate and Liverpool youth forward Rhian Brewster told the Guardian in December.
The allegation led to the English Football Association filing a complaint with FIFA, yet the governing body said in a statement released on Thursday that "a thorough investigation" failed to find clear evidence the abuse had occurred in England's 5-2 victory in Kolkata.
"Despite the absence of a sanction, which can only be imposed on the basis of clear evidence, the disciplinary committee would like to restate FIFA's unequivocal, zero-tolerance stance against all forms of discrimination, as enshrined in the FIFA statutes," the statement read.
Brewster himself raised a racism abuse claim when he said he was insulted by a Spartak Moscow player during Liverpool's UEFA Youth League game on Dec. 6, but UEFA closed that investigation without finding evidence to corroborate the claim.
