The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) has appointed a team of Diversity Officers to co-ordinate the monitoring and elimination of any racist or discriminatory behaviour during football matches.

The nine officers come from across the CONCACAF region and are being given special responsibility for ensuring that the recently introduced ‘Protocol for Racist Incidents During Matches’ is implemented appropriately.

“Racism and discrimination have no place in our game and the Protocol is designed to ensure that we have the mechanisms to deal with any potential incidents swiftly and systematically,” said CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb.

“The CONCACAF Diversity Officers bring a wealth of experience and expertise in football administration and will be a major asset to our monitoring and disciplinary process,” added Webb.

On Tuesday (11 March), the Diversity Officers took part in a workshop on monitoring and handling of racism and discrimination in football stadiums with Fare representatives.

The workshop examined detailed techniques for monitoring and reporting racist or discriminatory incidents and evaluated several case studies.

"The Diversity Officer scheme is a very welcome and innovative step in CONCACAF's drive to embrace the diversity of the region by tackling discrimination and moving towards equality for all in football,” said Fare Executive Director Piara Powar.

The nine Diversity Officers are:

- David Sabir – General Secretary, Bermuda Football Association

- Peter Montopoli – General Secretary, Canadian Soccer Association

- Damien Hughes – General Secretary, Caribbean Football Union

- Carlos Mendez – President, El Salvador Football Federation

- Andy Swift, Executive Director, Dallas Cup

- Margarita Echeverria - CONCACAF Statutes Committee Member

- Anthony Johnson – President, St. Kitts & Nevis Football Association

- Rignaal Francisca – President, Curaçao Football Federation

- Decio de Maria – President, Liga MX

- Ariel Alvarado

- Sheldon Phillips – General Secretary, Trinidad & Tobago Football Association

From CONCACAF