Spanish fans fighting the racists

Champions League profile
Proceedings will start with the high-profile UEFA Champions League games between Villarreal CF and SL Benfica tonight and Real Madrid CF and Rosenborg BK tomorrow. Watched by thousands, and with a TV audience of millions, each team will enter the pitch accompanied by children wearing Unite Against Racism T-shirts. Similar action is planned for UEFA's other Champions League games.

Fans unite
In the Spanish domestic league, fan groups from the length and breadth of the country have united in a historic meeting to coordinate their activities as part of the FARE Action Week. The groups have decided to react after negative headlines in Spain in recent times. Twelve different ultra fan groups of various Primera and Segunda División clubs are to display a banner saying Ultras Antiracista Unidos (Anti-racist Ultras United).

Great news
"The involvement in the Action Week of numerous Spanish fan groups is definitely great news," said Carlo Balestri, of FARE partner Progetto Ultrà, who have been working with Spanish groups. "Furthermore, all the anti-racist fan groups from the Iberic Peninsula have recently met and have set up a long-term action plan in order to carry out common initiatives against racism and discrimination in Spanish football."

Action Week
The activities form part of FARE's Action Week against racism, which kicked off last Wednesday and will last until 25 October. Launched in the 2001/02 season with initiatives in just nine countries, this year's Action Week now spans 35 separate countries. The range of activities has dramatically increased this year, with new groups from the former Soviet Union, the Balkans and now Spain becoming involved.

Nyon friendly
As part of the Action Week, UEFA's staff team played a friendly match in Nyon, Switzerland on Monday evening against a visiting team of local players from various countries, including Serbia-Montenegro, Senegal, Morocco, Algeria, Cameroon and Russia.