What with the ongoing Luis Suarez and John Terry investigations, and Sepp Blatter’s controversial views dominating the headlines for most of November, UEFA announced last week that stewards who will be on duty at UEFA Euro 2012 games in Poland are to take special training sessions in Warsaw on how to counter racism and discrimination.

‘Never Again’, a partner of ‘Football Against Racism in Europe’ (FARE), will conduct special sessions at the National Stadium as part of the stewards’ training. Stewards will be advised on how to identify and eliminate signs of prejudice such as racist chanting, racist gestures and racist symbols to enforce the attitude – ‘Respect Diversity’, which is part of UEFA’s anti-discrimination policy at UEFA Euro 2012.

‘Never Again’ will also be delivering similar training sessions to youth coaches, sports teachers, police officers and club officials in a bid to ensure a racism-free tournament, and raise awareness of the problems of racism and discrimination in football.

It is unsure at this stage exactly what the training sessions will involve and what methods will be used to identify signs of racism, but UEFA are investing €3million in the campaign which they hope will create a lasting legacy in the co-host nation.

UEFA’S EURO 2012 RESPECT CAMPAIGN

UEFA’s Euro 2012 Respect campaign will be tackling some of Europe’s key social issues, aiming to raise awareness and positively affect the lives of people in Poland and Ukraine.

Speaking about the importance of the Euro 2012 Respect campaign, UEFA President, Michel Platini said:

“As the governing body of European football, UEFA has the responsibility to protect the game and its supporters.

“Respect at EURO highlights UEFA’s continuous commitment to combat any form of discrimination, increase access for fans with disabilities, promote health through physical activity and encourage intercultural dialogue between fans and the host cities.”

UEFA hope the Euro 2012 Respect campaign will make its impact felt in Poland and Ukraine. It will be split into four different headings – Respect Diversity, Respect Fan Culture, Respect Inclusion and Respect your Health.

I wonder if Mr Blatter himself will be attending the special training sessions to identify signs of racism? He could certainly learn a thing or two if he did.

FARE STATEMENT ON BLATTER RACISM COMMENTS

UEFA’s long-time partner, ‘Football Against Racism in Europe’ (FARE), has expressed its shock and disappointment at the comments made recently by FIFA president Sepp Blatter on racism in football and his admission that, ‘any [racist] incidents should be settled by a handshake’.

Executive Director, Piara Powar commented:

“Sepp Blatter’s comments about player-on-player racism are at best naïve, and at worst, display ignorance of a long recognised problem. They undermine the good work of a global movement against discrimination in football and in society, and FIFA’s own activities in this field.

“The leader of world football should not be commenting on an issue against the background of the two very high profile incidents under investigation in the UK, and the countless incidents of similar abuse that have taken place globally over the past decade.

“To tell someone who has been abused because of their ethnic background, or sexual orientation, disability or gender, that he or she should simply shake hands with the abuser is an insult in itself and displays an absolute lack of understanding.

“For the FARE network this furore is about more than simply the debate as to FIFA’s competence to lead and govern football. It echoes the culture of denial faced by many of those groups within the FARE network campaigning against discrimination and for social justice. We hear stories constantly of a lack of recognition of the problems faced by marginalised and abused sections of society.

“We await FIFA’s long term response to this furore.”

PALTRY FINES FOR RACISM

Along with Blatter’s comments, it does beg the question of how UEFA expect their Euro 2012 Respect campaign to be taken seriously on issues such as racism when they hand out paltry fines to Europe’s footballing bodies whose fans abuse black players, or even worse, whose players racially abuse their fellow professionals.

The Slovakian FA were fined just £27,000 by UEFA for racist chanting aimed at England players during a European Championship qualifier in 2002, and in 2004, the Spanish FA were fined £44,750 by FIFA after England players, including Ashley Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips, were subjected to monkey chants from fans inside the Bernabeu.

During a Euro 2008 game against Turkey, the Croatian football federation were fined nearly £10,000 after their fans were found guilty of ‘displaying a racist banner and showing racist conduct’.

And more recently, the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) announced they were to appeal against the £34,000 fine imposed by UEFA for racist chanting subjected towards a number of England players in their Euro 2012 qualifying game in Sofia back in September.

In July 2007 the Serbian football federation were fined a measly £16,500 by UEFA after fans hurled racist abuse at Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha during an Under-21 European Championship match. Middlesbrough’s Justin Hoyte, then of Arsenal, was also racially abused by a Serbian player in the tunnel.

At the time of the incident, anti-racism group Kick It Out insisted UEFA exclude Serbia from the competition and director, Piara Powar, insisted the time had come for UEFA to impose more severe sporting sanctions rather than financial ones if racism in football was ever to be beaten. He said:

“The fine of £16,500 is nothing. It is not even a player’s wages for a week, although UEFA would argue that it is a significant sum to the Serbians.”

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