World football's 'no' to racism

Major events focus
FIFA is holding this year's worldwide FIFA Anti-Discrimination Day around major football events, starting with the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands, and continuing over the weekend with the FIFA Confederations Cup semi-finals in Germany.

'No' to racism
The top teams of both tournaments will help world football's governing body deliver a clear message against racism and discrimination. Before kick-off, the captains will read a declaration condemning and rejecting discrimination. The players and match officials will also pose with a banner displaying the unequivocal 'Say No to Racism' message. The pre-match activities for the Anti-Discrimination Day will be held in Utrecht, Tilburg, Kerkrade and Enschede (FIFA World Youth Championship) as well as in Nuremberg and Hannover (FIFA Confederations Cup).

Football's unique power
"Football has a unique power that can and must be used to promote human development and peace and to expel discrimination from society," said FIFA President Joseph S Blatter. "We are delighted to present our competitions not only as a sporting spectacle but also as a channel to raise awareness on the pressing social issues of our days. This is part of our social responsibility."

Henry's support
The captain of the newly created group of FIFA Ambassadors against Racism, Thierry Henry, also supports the initiative. He said: "If all parties involved in football join in condemning and acting against discrimination, there is hope for eradicating it from our sport. I commend the active participation of the teams in the Netherlands and Germany which shows the players' rejection of racism and their willingness to fight it."

'Racism a blight'
Senes Erzik, chairman of the FIFA committee for ethics and fair play, and a UEFA vice-president, added: "We deplore racism and discrimination and reject it in our statutes and code of ethics, as this blight should have no place in our game."

German event
The German Academy of Football Culture is marking the semi-finals of the FIFA Confederations Cup by taking an in-depth look at the cultural, educational and social dimension of the forthcoming 2006 FIFA World Cup – and will focus on the anti-racism work being undertaken in Europe by UEFA and its partner, the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) network.

Fans, fair play and values
Under the motto 'Fans, fair play and football values', World Cup officials, fan representatives, academics and FARE members will gather for discussions at the Football Culture Forum in Nuremberg on Friday and Saturday. The German FARE partner and society for anti-racist football culture, Floodlight, advised and assisted the academy's organising team in putting together the individual forum components.