UEFA continues drive against racism

Cheque presented
UEFA director of communications and public affairs, William Gaillard, Arsenal FC vice-president David Dein and FC Bayern München chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge presented FARE with a cheque for €400,000 before kick-off at Wednesday's UEFA Champions League encounter between the clubs at Highbury.

Reflecting diversity
The cheque was presented to three individuals whose backgrounds reflect the diversity of ethnic minorities in Europe and those at the brunt of many racial attacks - Valeriu Nicolae, from the European Roma Information Office in Brussels, Mehrun Ahmed, a Muslim woman youth worker from Sheffield, and Ho Yee Cory Lam, from the Bristol and Avon Chinese Women's group.

Continental concern
FARE and UEFA have co-operated for several years, and UEFA's donation to one of its major charity partners comes at a time when high-profile cases of racist behaviour have reignited concerns about the problem across the continent. The cash will be invested in supporting campaigning and educational activities in areas such as southern and eastern Europe.

Campaigning groups
The FARE network consists of more than 100 campaigning groups in 33 European countries. FARE aims to rid the game of racism by combining the resources of anti-racist football organisations throughout Europe.

UEFA funding
UEFA itself has allocated almost €1.7m to help fund the anti-racist programmes of its 52 member associations. This money comes from the fines that UEFA imposes on clubs and players for all forms of misbehaviour at European competition games.

Grassroots action
"We have seen in recent months just how crucial grassroots campaigns against racism are to the future of the game," said Piara Powar, director of UK anti-racism group Kick It Out, and a leading member of the FARE network.

'Loud and clear'
"In some parts of Europe the problem is being ignored. Against this background, the support of European football's governing body is essential to ensuring that the message is heard loud and clear across the continent and that effective action is taken."

Racism not tolerated
Mr Gaillard said: "UEFA will not tolerate racism in our sport, and will not rest until racist attitudes have disappeared from both the field of play and the stadium. UEFA shares the outrage created by the recent incidents of racist behaviour in football.

'Determination is clear'
"We recognise the need to be working alongside those who have specialist knowledge and understand the problems," Mr Gaillard added. "We will continue to give leadership to make sure the problem is foremost in the minds of European football. Much still needs to be done but our determination is clear."

Tough penalties
UEFA is deeply committed to the anti-racism cause. "Racism affects all areas of European society, but football's massive popularity means that the problem becomes magnified in our stadia," the body says. "UEFA takes tough disciplinary action against all associations, clubs and individuals who fail to keep racism out of the game. We sanction all offences with a range of fines that increase as the incident becomes more serious. We force persistent offenders to play their games behind closed doors. We also reserve the ultimate sanction of ejecting clubs from competitions.

'Common strategy'
"But sanctions alone are not enough - we must do everything possible to prevent the problem. Together with FARE, we are taking steps to prevent racism in stadia, including sanctions against spectators and players who engage in racist abuse; prevention of the sale of racist material both inside and outside stadia; introduction of equal-opportunities' policies in and around clubs; and a common strategy between stewards and police for dealing with abuse."

For further information on the FARE network please see www.FAREnet.org.