"You look at FIFA, and you wonder if they're doing enough or if they're doing anything at all," said Beasley, the American star who has been harassed while playing for PSV Eindhoven. "But, at the same time, I look at it as, what more can they do? Who do you suspend? Do you suspend the team? Do you suspend the club as a whole? Do you suspend that one fan?"

Tough questions, to be sure. World soccer officials are searching for answers.

In March, FIFA toughened its anti-racism rules. Professional clubs will lose three points for a first offense _ whether by a fan, player or team official _ and six points for a second. Additional violations can bring disqualification from tournaments and even demotion to a lower division.

At the World Cup, teams could be penalized points for remarks by players and coaches. Though Blatter initially said teams would be held responsible for their fans' behavior, he backed off for fear spectators would use the penalties to punish the opposition.

FIFA will send its message in other ways.

A "Football Against Racism" logo will cover each field's center circle until just before kickoff. Before each quarterfinal game, team captains will read a "declaration against racism" over the public address system, and photos of teams and referees holding the Football Against Racism flag will be shown.

"Since the beginning of the preparations, this was an important issue," said Horst Schmidt, vice president of the German organizing committee.

Schmidt said he didn't believe that a recent rash of trouble in Germany was related to the World Cup. In one day two weeks ago, there were three separate attacks on people of foreign descent, with some of the thugs singing the German national anthem and shouting fascist slogans.

Overall, reports of race-related attacks in Germany rose nearly 25 percent between 2004 and 2005, from 776 to 958 incidents. Last month, a former government spokesman went so far as to suggest that minorities not visit specific cities where there has been repeated trouble.

"It's a mixed picture, really," said Piara Powar, director of Kick It Out, a London-based organization devoted to fighting racism in soccer.

"I think here in England we've done some great work and the message has got through. In other parts of Europe, there are similar good stories," he said. "But in other parts, I'm afraid it's a far more pessimistic picture."