Great support for anti-racist Action Week

Great backing
In 23 European countries, more than 300 fan groups, clubs, national associations and ethnic minority and migrant organisations will be involved in the Action Week.

Regular fixture
The Action Week has become a regular fixture on the international football calendar, as FARE, UEFA and their partner bodies throughout Europe spread the message that racism has no place in football.

Serious problem
"Particularly encouraging this year is the strong involvement of football governing bodies and the anti-racist initiatives in Central and Eastern Europe - some of them countries where racism inside football stadiums constitutes a serious problem," said FARE as the activities got under way.

Belgrade initiative
At the forthcoming home matches of the Belgrade clubs Crvena Zvezda, FK Rad and UEFA Champions League participants FK Partizan, the players will present red cards against racism when they line up before the match. Slovakia's national association will join with the Slovakian 'People Against Racism' body in a similar exercise involving the country's top-flight teams before an entire round of domestic matches, and further events will take place in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Croatia, Hungary, F.Y.R. Macedonia, Poland, Romania and Ukraine.

English involvement
"The involvement of all 92 English professional football clubs in the National Week of Action will constitute a highlight of the pan-European efforts to kick racism out of the game," said FARE. "For example, tens of thousand of Arsenal [FC] fans will raise messages against racism during their match at Highbury, similar anti-racist day events will take place all over the country."

Strong uniting force
German Bundesliga clubs FC Schalke 04, BV Borussia Dortmund, 1. FC Kaiserslautern and VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach will stage anti-racism activities at their home matches, while dozens of supporter clubs and fan projects throughout Germany will promote the integrating message that football is a strong force in uniting people, irrespective of origin or nationality.

Programmes and film
In the Netherlands, players from PSV Eindhoven and AFC Ajax will show racism the red card, match programmes will be dedicated to the issue of racism, and an anti-racist film clip will be screened in stadiums.

Bilingual fanzine
Fans from neighbouring countries Austria and Slovakia have come together to produce a bilingual fanzine, players in Norway have been visiting schools, and video workshops have been shown in schools in France as the anti-racism campaign gathers momentum.

UEFA role
UEFA's contribution to the Action Week includes a friendly football match featuring the UEFA staff team and a local multi-ethnic football team. UEFA's staff footballers will take on a team from the Geneva-based Africa-Suisse sporting organisation at the Stade de Colovray, opposite UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on Wednesday 22 October at 20.15CET.

Several years working together
UEFA and FARE have worked together for several years. The European body recently issued a good practice guide which has been circulated to all of Europe's national associations, leagues and clubs, as well as to UEFA's list of referees, match delegates and venue directors.

More details about FARE can be found at www.FAREnet.org