SOCCER NEWS:SEPP BLATTER'S leadership was last night called into question after he was forced to clarify comments that racist abuse between players on the pitch should be settled by a handshake. Blatter made the claim in two separate television interviews yesterday to provoke an angry response from around the football world.

The 75-year-old head of Fifa later claimed he had been misunderstood but he was last night branded “worryingly out of touch” by anti-racism group Kick It Out.

Former England skipper Rio Ferdinand was also outspoken, describing the comments as “astonishing” on his Twitter page.

Asked if racism was a problem on the pitch, Blatter had earlier told CNN World Sport: “I would deny it. There is no racism, there is maybe one of the players towards another, he has a word or a gesture which is not the correct one, but also the one who is affected by that. He should say that this is a game. We are in a game, and at the end of the game, we shake hands, and this can happen, because we have worked so hard against racism and discrimination.”

He also said on Al Jazeera: “During a match you may say something to someone who’s not looking exactly like you, but at end of match it’s forgotten.”

Kick It Out condemned the comments and claimed they revealed a concerning lack of leadership.