Anti-racism message in Gelsenkirchen

Wednesday's UEFA Champions League final at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen, Germany offers an ideal chance to highlight the fight against racism in football - and the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) network aims to take full advantage.

Music and fun
FARE partner Schalker Fan-Initiative, in association with the city of Gelsenkirchen, will be organising a number of activities at an all-day anti-racist street party being staged for supporters attending the match. "The day is set to be a colourful mix of music and fun to be enjoyed by both sets of fans," said FARE, which has received considerable financial support from UEFA in recent years as part of the anti-racism campaign.

Bilingual leaflet
Supporters of the local club FC Schalke 04 will be producing a bilingual leaflet calling on AS Monaco FC and FC Porto fans to celebrate together in a spirit of fair play. The leaflet will also contain an anti-racist message. Additional anti-racist material by FARE and the Schalker Fan-Initiative will be available at a stand.

Film message
A big screen will show a film about the annual anti-racist Mondiali tournament in Montecchio, Italy, and an educational CD-ROM in which stars from German football take a stand against racism. It will also offer fans without a ticket the opportunity watch the match together in a spirit of unity.

Programme statement
A page in the official match programme is also dedicated to the 'Unite against Racism' campaign jointly run by UEFA and FARE. Schalke are recognised as making a significant contribution to the campaign against racism in German football.

Schalke example
A statement that went out with all tickets said: "Schalke is at the forefront of the fight against racism in Germany. In 1994 it became the first club to include an anti-racism paragraph in its statutes. In addition, its directors have worked closely with the Schalke Fan Initiative and the FARE network". The splendid Arena AufSchalke served as the venue for a FARE grassroots conference in February this year, which Schalke supported as part of their centenary celebrations.

UEFA Cup message
The activities in Gelsenkirchen complement UEFA's message against racial prejudice at last week's UEFA Cup final between Valencia CF and Olympique de Marseille in Gothenburg, Sweden. There the 'Unite against Racism' message was spelt out in the perimeter advertising.