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ZURICH (AP) — FIFA closed a racism investigation Thursday that involved a Spain player and an England opponent from the Under-17 World Cup final.
FIFA said its disciplinary panel dismissed the charge against the Spanish player because of a "lack of sufficient evidence that could corroborate the English player's claim."
It is the third recent case of a high-profile allegation of racist abuse of black players being closed without action.
The latest ruling, from England's 5-2 win in India last October, followed "a thorough investigation," FIFA said.
In March, UEFA ended two investigations because of a lack of verifiable evidence.
Those claims were made by Borussia Dortmund forward Michy Batshuayi against Italian club Atalanta, and Liverpool youth forward Rhian Brewster against a Spartak Moscow opponent.
Brewster also played in the Under-17 World Cup final, scoring the first goal in England's comeback after trailing 2-0 in the first half.
"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," the soccer body said in a statement.
In other rulings announced Thursday, FIFA imposed fines totaling more than $1.25 million.
The Laos soccer federation was fined 690,000 Swiss francs ($712,000) for several breaches of rules governing the eligibility of players to represent a national team.
Benfica and Sporting Lisbon were among five clubs found guilty of breaking rules which prohibit third-party investors having a stake in players' transfer rights, and misuse of FIFA's international transfer registration process.
Benfica was fined a total of 165,000 Swiss francs ($170,000) in two cases and Sporting was fined 110,000 Swiss francs ($114,000). In Spain, Celta Vigo was fined 65,000 Swiss francs ($67,000) and Rayo Vallecano was fined 55,000 Swiss francs ($57,000). Qatari club Al Arabi was fined 187,500 Swiss francs ($194,000).
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