Blatter: Boateng protest was 'strong, courageous'

Associated Press Sports

updated 1:07 p.m. ET Jan. 7, 2013

ZURICH (AP) -FIFA President Sepp Blatter says Kevin-Prince Boateng made a "strong and courageous" stand by leading his AC Milan teammates off the pitch to protest racial abuse by fans in Italy last week.

But Blatter tells the FIFA Ballon d'Or ceremony on Monday that such protests "cannot be the solution in the long term."

Blatter says "we have to find other sustainable solutions to tackle the problem of racism and discrimination at its roots."

Otherwise, the FIFA chief says, such principled stands "will be made in isolation and lost."

Still, Blatter praises Boateng for showing that "this (abuse) has gone too far and it has not to (continue)."

Earlier, Cristiano Ronaldo said it was "incredible" that fans still racially abuse players, but questioned if Boateng was right to walk off.

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