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uefa guide to good practice

produced by UEFA & FARE

produced by UEFA & FARE uniteagainstracism

in european football

UEFARoute de Genève 46CH-1260 Nyon SwitzerlandTelephone +41 22 994 44 44Telefax +41 22 994 44 88uefa.com

Union des associationseuropéennes de football

03uniteagainstracism

02 uniteagainstracism

Introduction 04

A guide to action 07

What is racism? 08

Racism in football in europe 10

Anti-racist action 12

The actors National Associations SupportersPlayers and clubsEthnic minorities and migrantsMedia

The actionsAction plans and chartersStewarding and Policing policiesAction at matchesUEFA’s Ten Point PlanFARE Week of action

Principles of good practice 40

Appendices 43

FARE’s core members and contact detailsOther useful contact details

contents



introductionby Gerhard Aigner

It has been sad to note inrecent seasons that we haveseen a resurgence of incidents of racism withinthe European footballfraternity, in internationalmatches as well as at club level.

Racism is an evil. I can findno other way to describe it.It is a problem stimulatedoutside of football, but onewhich is too often givenexpression and public focusthrough our game. It mustbe eradicated.

Every one of us who ispassionate about footballhas a responsibility to act.For our part UEFA is notwilling to accept anyincidents of racism, orbroader expressions of racialprejudice or exclusion,without challenge. Whilst werecognise there are no easyanswers, we are playing ourpart in one of the mostdecisive drives to help kickracism out of football.

In December 2000 wereinforced our disciplinaryregulations against racism at football matches inEuropean competitions.Since then, 20 sanctions forracist incidents have beenimposed by UEFA's Controland Disciplinary Body.

In 2001 UEFA began apartnership with the FootballAgainst Racism in Europe(FARE) network throughfinancial support of its work. 1 million Swiss Francs weredonated to the network inAugust 2001, and a furtherdonation of 400,000 SwissFrancs was made to helpfund the ‘Unite AgainstRacism’ conference in London.

In October 2002 the UEFA President, LennartJohansson, and I sent out a joint letter to the entireEuropean football familyissuing a 10-point actionplan to encourage action at club level.

UEFA is also supporting itsmember associations toundertake anti-racist actionat the national level with anew financial assistancescheme approved by theUEFA Executive Committeein November 2002.

On March 5th 2003 a landmark event in tacklingracism took place atChelsea FC, in London. Weworked closely with FAREand The Football Associationto organise the ‘UniteAgainst Racism’ conference,to bring togetherrepresentatives of all 52European footballingnations, to exchange ideas and information and together to set out aresponse to this problem.

This Good Practice Guide is one practical outcome ofthe conference and reflectsour intention to deliverchange. We hope that you will use it effectively to make a difference.

Lasting change will only beachieved through sustainedwork that reflects local andnational realities, undertaken in a spirit of partnership. Given some of the problemsfacing us it will be achallenging road to travel,but they are challenges thatall of us who care for thegame and believe in itspotential to unite should be prepared to face.



It is by no means complete in its representation of the work that has taken place in European football, no document could ever claim to do thatcomprehensively.Nevertheless, it stands as a significant record of the achievements of manyin campaigning to tackleracism. Hopefully, manyothers in the Europeanfootball family can takepractical guidance from the examples set out here.

The objective has been tobring together the bestexamples of anti-racismactivities from significantgroups within and outside offootball, such as fans, clubs,players, football authorities,or migrant and ethnicminority organisations.These responses may havebeen developed in reactionto racist incidents or inattempting to build respectand educate the widerfootball community.

Our ultimate hope is that bysharing examples of ‘goodpractice’, such practice willspread and that newapproaches and initiativeswill be generated, adding tothe growing momentum ofthe campaign against racism

This guide is being presented by UEFA and FARE followingthe ‘Unite Against Racism’ conference at Stamford Bridge,Chelsea FC, on March 5th 2003, as one of a number ofpractical outcomes from the conference.

From these practical actions are drawn a set ofprinciples, or good practice guidelines, that we hope you will use to inform your activities.

aguidetoaction



Racism is the belief of thesuperiority of a particularrace, religion or ethnicgroup. It is most commonlyexpressed through words orpractices which causedisadvantage. It can occurintentionally or through alack of understanding andignorance. It may manifestitself openly or it can becovert, and often it isinstitutionalised.

The problem will applydifferently across thecontinent with ethnicminorities often the focus ofabuse, harassment anddiscrimination. In many partsof Europe ethnic minoritiessubjected to racism will bethose from neighbouringcountries or regions. Inmany Western Europeannations citizens of the formercolonies, often in Africa orAsia, are those most oftenvictims of racism.

There remain forms ofracism that are centuries old and persist throughoutEurope. Examples includeracism towards Jews – anti-semitism – and Romapeoples. In recent yearsthere has also been a growth in attacks and discrimination against Muslims.

whatisracism?

Yet, despite the skillsdisplayed by stars fromAfrica, South America, Asia,Australia, North America andall corners of Europe, racismcontinues to be a problemthat is a feature of both our professional leagues and of amateur andgrassroots football.



racisminfootballineurope

As the following examples illustrate racism has featured at alllevels of European football over the last ten years:

European football is probably the most prestigious sports arena in the world, watched by hundreds of millions of people. The top leagues attract the best players from across the world and in most countries football has become a multi-ethnic, multi-national sport.

December 1991, Scotland:Alarmed by the rise in far-right activity at Scottishgrounds football supportersform a campaign to combatracism in football, SCARF(Supporters’ CampaignAgainst Racism in Football).

July 1992, Italy:Lazio fans show their anger at the club’s new signing,Holland’s Surinamese-Indian,Aaron Mohammed Winter,by scrawling “we don’t wantneither nigger nor Jewish”on a wall of the club’sheadquarters.

October 1993, Germany:During a Europeanchampionships qualifierbetween Germany andTurkey, German fans chantrepeatedly “Kreuzberg must burn”; Kreuzberg is an area in Berlin where many Turks live.

December 1994, Spain: Fans of Sporting Gijon spray “red and white yes,black no” on the walls oftheir stadium after the club signs Nigerian Rashidi Yekini.

October 1995, Holland: The Dutch FootballAssociation protests toUEFA about racist abuseagainst Ajax’s black playersduring a UEFA ChampionsLeague match againstFerencvaros in Budapest.

June 1996, France:Jean Marie Le Pen,president of the FrontNational, says that Frenchplayers of ethnic minorityorigin should not sing thenational anthem becausethey are ‘not worthy’ torepresent the nation.

September 1998, Austria:Austrian fans chant anti-Semitic slogansthroughout a game between Austria and Israel.

February 1999, Turkey: After Kevin Campbell signsfor Trabzonspor, thepresident of the club says:“We bought a cannibal whobelieves he is a forward.”

November 2000, Italy:Racist abuse is heaped on Liverpool’s Emile Heskeythroughout England’s friendly in Turin.

August 2001, Romania: During the derby againstRapid Bucharest Dinamosupporters display a hugebanner on the terrace saying “More Tigane” (Death to the Gypsies).

October 2001, Czech Republic: Bayern Munich playersSamuel Kuffour and Pablo Thiam are subject to monkey chants from Sparta Prague fans during their UEFAChampions League match.

October 2001, Portugal: Racial abuse is directed atEmile Heskey, by Boavistafans. The Liverpool andEngland striker saysafterwards: “It does happena lot in Europe and the factis I have got used to it. I have had to.”

October 2002: A series of games duringUEFA club competitionswitness incidents of racial abuse of players, with the Euro 2004 qualifier,Slovakia vs. England subjectto mass racist chanting.

April 2003, England:Supporters at the England v. Turkey match use racistabuse against other fansand players.

In amateur and grassrootsfootball national associationsshould be aware of, andtake action to curb, the highnumbers of racist attacks onmigrants and ethnicminorities. In somecountries rules are in placethat effectively prohibitindividuals born to one ormore foreign parentscompeting in mainstreamamateur football. By insistingthat only players of fullcitizenship are registeredsuch statutes bothcontravene the spirit of thegame and its ability to uniteindividuals from differentbackgrounds, and lead tothe development of parallel,unaffiliated leagues.

In order to encourageproactive planning of action at national level UEFA hasset up a fund to offer financial assistance to anti-racism projects led by national associations.

The fund makes available upto 50,000 Swiss Francs tocover 50% of the budget ofprojects that FA’s may wish to develop. The remaining50% of the funding will need to come from the association.

Details of the fund were sentto national associations inNovember 2002 withguidance as below:

“With this initiative UEFAinvites all memberassociations to develop theirown programmes to raiseawareness and take a stand against racism at national and local level.Campaigns could beconducted in co-operation with leagues and clubs.”

The letter goes on toemphasise the importanceof working with partners withexpertise in the issue bystating that, “Memberorganizations of the FAREnetwork would be availablefor consultation.” A numberof associations have beenproactive over a period of time in developing their own action in response to local needs.

The Norwegian FootballAssociation have produced a charter, consisting of eight principles, aroundwhich its clubs can focustheir anti-racist and anti-discrimination work (see next section for detailsof these charters).

The Norwegian FA’s action has been spearheaded byits president, Per RavnOmdal, having been sparkedby one of the mostdisturbing racist incidents in European football in recent years, the murder of 15 year-old footballer,Benjamin Hermansen.



anti-racistactionthe actors - national associations the actors - national associations

Leadership to tackle racism must come from within the heartof the football family. As the guardians and governing bodiesof the game national associations have a vital role to play inacknowledging problems that may exist, encouraging theimplementation of the UEFA tenpoint plan for professionalclubs, and setting out clear codes of conduct againstracism, including disciplinary sanctions against players, clubs or officials who contravene those codes.



the actors - national associations

The German FA (DFB) haveorganised a series ofcampaigns in response toconcern over racism fromfans. In 1993, DFB launchedthe campaign ‘Peacefultogether – My Friend is aForeigner’ at a specialmatch between the seniornational team and aselection of foreignBundesliga players. It alsoissued a ten-point charteragainst racism whichsupporters groups havelobbied to have adopted byevery club and footballcouncil in the country.

The Football Association inEngland has long been asponsor and supporter ofanti-racism campaigning,particularly through the ‘Let’sKick Racism Out of Football’campaign, now run by KickIt Out. At times, it hasplayed a key role in frontingpublic education campaignsabout the issue, and hasorganised schoolscompetitions and producedliterature in partnership with other football bodies.In 2001 the FA took thebrave step of publiclyapologising to black playersfor the abuse they sufferedin England through the 1970’s and 1980’s.

The FA have now developeda comprehensive Ethics andSports Equity Plan whichhas been accepted at thehighest levels of theorganisation theimplementation of which will see them take forward a holistic strategy for equality in all of it’s areas of their governance.

In early 2002 aninvestigation was undertakenin Spain by the nationalfederation (RFEF) afterMalaga’s Congolese-bornDutch midfield player KizitoMusampa complained thathe was racially abused bythree opponents in leaguematches. “It is completelyunacceptable,” saidMusampa. “I canunderstand that players get angry but not that theymake insults about thecolour of your skin. You have to report thesesorts of things so that they do not happen again. I don’t mind if I am insultedbut this is racism and itcannot be accepted justbecause it comes from a fellow professional.”

Many European societies are changing. There are now greater numbers ofvisible ethnic minoritiesresident in our major townsand cities than ever before.As a consequence football,like many other areas of life,will need to change andadapt to ensure thecontributions new citizenscan make to the game arewelcomed and utilisedpositively. This may beespecially a factor in central and east European countries.

In Poland, the popularity of Emmanuel Olisadebe, a Nigerian who plays for the Polish national team, has had a positive influence on the perception of African peoples.

The Polish FA, throughworking with the NGO Never Again have identifiedanti-semitism as a persistentproblem and have finedclubs for displays of racistbanners, and threatened toclose stadia.

The FA of Hungary haveidentified abuse andexclusion of players fromRoma communities as a key issue. They are seekingto address some of theseproblems through thedevelopment of facilities and playing opportunities in areas in which the Roma predominate.

Born of African and Norwegian parents, Benjamin hadbecome a symbol of the unifying potential of the game whenhe made an anti-racist statement on national television. The tragedy inspired the country’s largest post-wardemonstration when more than 50,000 people took part in a torch-lit march through Oslo, including members of thegovernment, royalty, footballers and immigrants.

The NFA have assisted the work of the Norwegian Players’Union (NISA) and the Norwegian People’s Aid organization.Through actions inside stadiums where both teams haveheld up red cards to racism before the game. The recentEuro 2004 qualifier between Norway and Poland players sawthe same action taking place before the game and thedisplay of an anti-racist banner.



Take banners, for example.Fans’ homemade bannersenliven and colour footballstadiums around Europeevery week. They carrymessages – usually abouttheir team and heroes; theiropponents, the villains; or themselves, the fans,‘ultras’, or ‘crews’ of theterraces. Anti-racist fans in many countries have used this simple method to make their first publicstance against racism infootball grounds.

For example, at a matchbetween Padova and Cosenza in Italy in May1997, Cosenza fansdisplayed a large home-made banner which read, in English, ‘Stop RacismForever’. This was producedin response to racist chantsmade by Padova fansagainst two Nigerian playersbought by the club. In 2001,during FARE’s first week ofaction, anti-racist bannerswere also displayed in Italyby fans of Perugia, Empoli,Ancona, Genoa, Sampdoria,Atalanta, Cavese, Venezia,Pisa, Ternana and Bologna,to name just a few.

In Austria in 2001, a bannerdeclaring ‘Fair Play. DifferentColours. One Game’ washung in the stadium by fansof the premier team SVRied during their gameagainst SW Bregenz. Also in 2001, fans of FCTirol produced a bannerdeclaring ‘United Colours ofInnsbruck’ during the gameagainst SV Salzburg. At thisgame fans also releasedhundreds of balloons withthe slogan ‘All Colours –One Game’ and 9,000copies of a magazine andposter were distributed.During the Action Week in April 2002 the AustrianFair Play campaignproduced a poster ‘Viennesefootball shows racism thered card’ in partnership withthe major fan clubs from Rapid, Austria Vienna and sportklub.

In Germany the fans group‘Schalker gegen Rassismus’(Schalke Against Racism)displayed large bannersduring Schalke 04’sBundesliga match againstFC Kaiserslauten. They alsodistributed 20,000 flyersinside the stadium and held a joint press conferencewith the team manager and players after the game.

supporters

While it’s undoubtedly true that some footballsupporters are perpetratorsof racist abuse againstplayers and other fans, it would be too easy tostereotype fans in general as ‘the problem’. In fact, as most people willacknowledge it is always a minority among supporterswho take part in racistactivity, whether it’s abuse and chanting orsomething more physicaland menacing.

However, it is also true thatfootball fans have alwaysbeen at the start of attemptsto combat racism. If, sometimes, they are the problem, they are alsothe solution. In manyEuropean nations it hasbeen the actions of fans that have kick-started othermembers of the footballfamily into taking notice, and taking action.

Fans create the atmosphereand passion that makefootball unique. It’s theirculture and it’s from the spirit of this culture that themost effective attempts tocombat racism arise.

supporters



Elsewhere in Germany,members of the OldenburgerFaninitiative have persuadedtheir club, Vfb Oldenburg tohave an anti-racist bannerpermanently on display inthe ground. The banner wasfirst revealed before theirfourth division match against TSV Havelse. Similarly, theFanprojekt Hannover 96group produced twobanners saying ‘DifferentColours – One Game’ and‘Young fans against racism’,which were carried aroundthe ground by young fansbefore Hannover 96’s gamesagainst RW Oberhausen andMSV Duisburg.

In a variation on the theme, the Polish NGO ‘NigdyWiecey’ (Never Again), who are supported byEmmanuel Olisadebe,distributed T-shirts with theslogan ‘Wykopmy Rasizm ze Stadionow’ (kick racism out of the stadium) tosupporters of Warsaw intheir ground. They have alsoproduced posters, fanzines and a CD of anti-racist football songs.

Just as banners, balloons,leaflets and t-shirts are a long-standing part of terracetraditions, fans’ magazines, or fanzines, are also part ofthe culture of the footballsupporter, and have oftenbeen used to campaignagainst racism by givingsupporters a chance to airtheir own views, tell storiesabout racist incidents, andcall for action to stop them. They have also provided aspace for ethnic minorityfans to make themselvesheard, and to demonstratetheir loyalty to the team.

A prime example of the power of fanzines comes fromEngland in the late 1980s where a group of Leeds Unitedsupporters produced a new fanzine, ‘Marching Altogether’,explicitly to campaign against racism at Leeds’ Elland Roadstadium. The club had established a reputation for attractingsupporters from far-right groups such as the National Frontand the British National Party. The fanzine was crucial inbringing like-minded fans together, and a group called LeedsUnited Against Racism and Fascism was formed by itscontributors and readers.

supporters



Despite the growth of itsplaying side, the emphasison anti-racist work has beenmaintained, focused aroundits fanzine, called PrassesErben (Prasse’s Heirs). RedStar members have alsopersuaded the town’s otherclubs, such as FC SachsenLeipzig, to hold anti-racistevents, with banners andflyers, and have producedtheir own anti-racist CD.

Not every fans’ group is asorganised as this, but thereare many examples acrossEurope of fans who havetaken spontaneous actionswhen racism emerges –reporting incidents toauthorities, to their nationalcampaigns, or FARE;removing racist graffiti fromwalls and stadiums when itappears; and lobbying theirclubs and football authorities to take responsibility foropposing racism.

supporters

This was followed in the 1990s by the national FootballSupporters’ Association (FSA) who produced an anti-racistfanzine called United Colours of Football, 100,000 copies ofwhich were distributed widely outside grounds and throughclub-based fanzines up and down the country. Recently,Kick It Out, the national campaign against racism in football,has produced two further editions of United Colours, one ofwhich was aimed at England supporters and given out tofans before England’s final World Cup qualifying gameagainst Greece last October.

Similar initiatives have been taken across Europe. In thenewly-formed German states, where racism from far rightgroups has been a growing problem in football, one group of fans formed their own club. Roter Stern Leipzig (Red StarLeipzig) was formed in 1998 to provide an alternative to theracist cultures associated with the town’s two establishedclubs. RSL now has two men’s teams, a women’s team, a youth team and a senior’s side, as well as its own clubhouse and ground.

This form of co-ordinated action has been most effectivewhere fans of different teams have come together innetworks and associations. Two FARE member organisationsare good examples, the Italian groups Progetto Ultrà andUISP and Germany’s Buendnis Aktiver Fussballfans e.V.(BAFF). These organisations set out anti-racist activity thatdraws on the culture of fans as a key principle of their work.



playersandclubs playersandclubs

Players, of course, are theheroes of the fans and theirwords can have a wideimpact. Players can also bethe victims of racism, andoccasionally, theperpetrators. Buildingsupport among high profileprofessional players for thecause of anti-racism hasbeen a core objective ofmany campaigns.

The players’ union inEngland, the ProfessionalFootballers’ Association, is afounding member of Kick ItOut and has been a long-term sponsor and supporterof efforts to rid the game ofracism. The PFA producesan anti-racist poster eachseason – ‘It’s only the colourof the shirt that counts’ –and helps to persuade itsmembers to take publicstands against racismthrough appearing at eventsand undertaking symbolicactions such as wearinganti-racist T-shirts.

The Show Racism the RedCard campaign has usedinterviews with players,whether in magazines or onvideo, to take the anti-racistmessage to school childrenand young people beyondfootball grounds. These arethe stars who young peoplelook up to, and when theytalk about racism and how it affects them – both withinfootball and outside – it canhave a important andeducational influence.

Players such as Ryan Giggs,Les and Rio Ferdinand,Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke,Shaka Hislop, and manyothers have spoken outabout racism.

The Norwegian Players’Union (NISA) and theNorwegian People’s Aidorganization have teamedup on the ‘Show RacismThe Red Card’ slogan toorganise an anti-racistschools competition. The winners were given their awards on the pitch atthe national Ullevaal stadiumat half-time during a gamebetween Norway’s premierclubs, Lyn, and Rosenborg.

The campaign also drawson the positive appeal ofplayers in its educationalwork very effectively.

Players have also beenknown to take spontaneousactions, usually in support of teammates who are beingsubjected to abuse. For example, in Italy lastseason players from theSerie B team Trevisocoloured their faces blackbefore they came onto the field for a game to showsolidarity with theirteammate Akeem Omolade.The Nigerian had beenbooed by fans when hemade his debut against

Ternana the previous week.Omolade came on as asubstitute against Genoaand scored the second goal in a 2-2 draw.

This was not the first time players in Italy havetaken a stand. In 1993 the stars of AC Milan tookthe field before one Serie A game carrying a bannerwhich proclaimed ‘No alRazzismo’. In similar vein, all players in the GermanBundesliga showed redcards calling for moretolerance and integration on the same match day in December 2000.

While fans are often the spur for anti-racist action theycannot defeat racism on their own, and not merely withbanners, leaflets and fanzines. To generate wider recognitionof the problem, and greater media attention in particular,they need the support of players and the clubs they play for.



playersandclubs

The activities of clubs, as well as their players, can be vital for campaignsagainst racism. Clubs havean important influence overthe atmosphere in theirgrounds and unequivocalstatements condemningracism help to show that such abuse will not be tolerated.

When racism became acommon occurrence at thehome games of French clubParis St Germain the clubworked with local NGOs toturn things around. A groupof racists, known as theBolougne Boys, gatheredbehind one goal, which theydeclared to be a whites onlyarea. In April 2000, the cluberected a permanent sign atthe Parc des Princes saying,“There is a place foreveryone at Paris StGermain, except racists”.

Permanent anti-racistbanners and hoardings cannow be seen at many clubsaround Europe, such asthose seen at the stadiumsof clubs throughout thePremier and FootballLeagues in England. A greatnumber of clubs in Englandnow follow this up withaction from the UEFA/FARETen Point Plan – includingputting messages inmatchday programmes,making announcements over the PA system, erectingsigns and banners statingthat racists will be ejected,and holding special kickracism out of football daysof action on match days.

Many clubs in England arenow looking to ensure thatthe theme of equality runsacross every area of theiractivities, that they aresensitive of the need to workwith and engage minoritycommunities in cities acrossEngland. Kick It Out hasworked with the FA PremierLeague to develop aframework for these actionsthrough a racial equalitystandard for clubs, whichwill reward and acknowledgeachievements in developinganti-racist policies.

On the occasion of its 100thanniversary the AustrianBundesliga team Grazer AKcommitted itself “to the fightagainst any form ofxenophobia and racism”,and GAK demands from its players, members,supporters and guests “in each situation the moralcourage to stand up for the rights of victims of xenophobia.”

In Belgium champion RacingGenk together with thefoundation “Samen KleurrijkSporten” have recentlylaunched a poster whichstates “Show Racism theRed Card”. They will bejoined by more clubsdelivering different sorts of work as the foundationtakes forward its work in the future.

As football clubs becomelarger organisations withmulti-faceted operations so their responsibility asemployers and exemplars of good community relationsgrow. Many are alsoemployers and it isimportant that they operate‘equal opportunities’policies, that they encouragepeople from ethnic minoritiesto apply for jobs, involvethose communities inoutreach work and developcommunity partnerships.

In parts of Western Europe some clubs arelooking beyond the moralreasons for working forequality and are increasinglyaware of the potentialcommercial benefits ofengaging with previouslyexcluded communities.



Involving ethnic minority fansand migrant groups incampaigns against racism in football is vitally important.One of the most strikingaspects of all Europeanfootball is the discrepancybetween the high number of black players on the fieldand the lack of black facesin the crowd.

For example, it is estimatedthat about 15 per cent of allprofessional footballers inEngland and Wales areblack. But a recent survey offans found that on averageless than one per cent ofseason ticket holders atPremier League clubs wereethnic minorities. What’smore 27 per cent of fanssaid they had heard racistabuse directed at playersduring the season.

Efforts to attract more ethnic minority participationin football, at all levels, but in particular toprofessional grounds asfans, is an important part of campaigns to eradicateracism in football.

In Sheffield the FootballUnites, Racism Divides(FURD) project have beeninstrumental in counteringthe exclusion of youngpeople from local ethnicminority communitiesthrough football themedactivities. Set up in 1996 by fans of Sheffield United,they are a model projectdemonstrating the way inwhich football, educationand community involvementcan be linked to bring aboutpositive change.

In Hungary the MahatmaGandhi Human RightsOrganisation in Budapestformed the African Starfootball team, which givesrefugees and people ofAfrican descent thepossibility to play football.They also hold a specialfootball tournament insummer hence creating amore tolerant and friendlysocial atmosphere throughsport programmes.

For those from within thegame relationships withethnic minority communitieswill need to be seen aslonger-term partnershipsmutually beneficial to football and the process of integrating newercommunities into themainstream.

ethnicminoritiesandmigrants

FURD’s support of local youth football and the anti-racist work of the two Sheffield clubs has beenrecognized nationally.

Football generates enormous amounts of broadcast andprint coverage across the continent. For many campaignersan active involvement with the media reflects the key rolethey play in highlighting both the problems of racist activityand the solutions.

media

The most successfulcampaigns have been ableto engender a wide-rangingdynamic in which all publicinstitutions, the mediaprominent amongst them,play an active role inchanging attitudes amongsupporters and demandingaction and commitment fromfootball authorities.

Gaining media coveragethrough launch events,banners and displays atmatches, radio phone ins, and other methods, is crucial to successfuloutcomes.

The mainstream media have covered numerousanti-racist actions by fansand other groups acrossEurope, particularly whenthis has been connected to specific events such asan anti-racist action day at aclub, anti-racism weeks ofaction such as the oneorganised by FARE last year,or the high profile star-ledlaunch of a publication,video, or exhibition.

Many anti-racistcampaigners produce theirown media, of course –magazines, fanzines,newsletters, posters, videos,CDs, websites and so on.And often the mainstreammedia will cover the issue ofracism in football on theirown initiative, usually whenracism occurs.

In Romania, for instance, thepopular magazine Pro Sportand the TV channel Pro TVjoined the FARE Action inApril 2002 and printed15,000 posters where high-profile players – including aplayer of Roma origin – ofthe Bucharest teams FCSteaua, FC Dinamo and FCRapid wore Football againstRacism in Europe T-shirts. During the livebroadcasting of the Rapidvs. FC Universitatea Craiova, Pro Sport explained thebackground to the action.





Similarly, The German FA adopted an anti-racist charterwhich calls for action from football clubs:anti-racistaction

the actions - action plans, charters and principles

Late last year UEFA took theinitiative of issuing a ten pointplan of action against racismdeveloped by FARE. The plansets out the ten measures thatnational associations and clubsshould take as the starting point of their actions to challenge racism.

It is hoped that all nationalassociations will adopt the plan and encourage clubs and others to sign-up and commit to theactions outlined.

Some associations have drawn up their own plans over the past few years as a response toissues at home.

The recent emergence of racism in Norwegian football hasprompted Norway’s FA to draft aset of eight anti-racist principles.They are a way of giving footballclubs a focus for anti-racist andanti-discrimination work.

1 Recognition of human worth by all who participate in sport.

2 All discrimination must be fought.

3 Non-acceptance of prejudice.

4 Be alert to, and prepare to fight against, racism.

5 No to violence.

6 The participation of all in football.

7 Football exists because of voluntarism, encouraging people to work together as a team.

8 Parental participation is essential if children are to be encouraged into sport.

1 Adoption of an anti-racism clause in stadiumrules and regulationsstating that racism andxenophobia and the displaying andcalling of extreme-rightsigns and symbols will not be tolerated and will lead to the personsconcerned being banned from thestadium.

2 Instruction of stewardswith regard to forbiddensymbols attributable tothe extreme right.

3 Publication ofstatements in matchprogrammes informingfans that the club doesnot tolerate racism,condemns racistchanting and thedisplaying of extreme-right symbols andsalutes, and will takeappropriate action.

4 Insisting that owners ofseason tickets commitnot to take part in racistabuse, racist chanting orany other form ofaggressive behavioursuch as the use ofpyrotechnic devices andthat they report personswho behave otherwise to the stewards or the police.

5 Introduction ofappropriate stepsagainst the sale ordistribution of racist andxenophobic literature on stadium property on matchdays.

6 Influencing of players,coaches and officials not to make racistcomments.

7 Removal of all racistgraffiti on stadiumproperty.

8 Development of actionplans or projects inassociation with theauthorities, the police, the fan projects,supporters clubs,sponsors, the socialservices, and playersand coaches to raiseawareness againstracism and xenophobia.

9 Use of regularannouncements againstracism and xenophobia by the PA announcer.

10 Use of messages on the scoreboardstating that the club and the fans are against discriminationand racism.

These national statements of principle can be a spur to action. If nothing else, they may force club officials to recognise that there is a problem when it occurs.



stewardingandpolicingpolicies

Whilst the longer termsolutions lie in theimplementation of co-ordinated campaigningmeasures, the effectivestewarding and policing of racism inside stadiumsshould be an intrinsic part of those strategies.

The culture and modes offootball support differ acrossEurope. In one country fansmight display banners, flagsand scarves, as they standbehind fences. In another,chants and songs, and thewearing of replica shirtswhile seated with a free view to the pitch maypredominate. Thesedifferences are in part due to culture and in part to differing models of stadia.

Whilst stewarding andpolicing policies will reflect these differentcircumstances – with somestadiums stewardedprominently and othersreliant on police checks atentrances - the primaryobjective of all stewardingmust be to ensure the safety of spectators and players.

These basic safetyprovisions should alsoinclude measures to ensurethe effective policing of racism, reflecting the view of the majority of fansand players that prejudiceshould not be part of theexperience of attendingfootball matches.

This may take the form ofhighly visible groundregulations, training ofstewards to recogniseracism as it occurs throughchants, symbols andbanners, or graffiti. The operational protocolssetting out which actionshould be taken and when,should include situations inwhich racism rears it’s head.

In common with measurestaken by a number ofGerman clubs FC SanktPauli take a firm line againstthose caught up in racism.The club sets out a clearpolicy through well sign-posted stadium statutes,backed up with targetedaction to identifyperpetrators. Once identified the individuals are banned and referred to the club’s fan project who work with them tochange attitudes.

In England the footballauthorities have drawn onthe advice of Kick It Out todevise a training programmeto be delivered to everysteward in England andWales in the next few years.The programme lasts 1 hourand covers all aspects ofproblem recognition andoperational responses.

With the problem asextensively evident as it is now, in the currentclimate not taking any action is not a viable option.

The highly visible presence of racist chants inside the stadiums of some ofthe most prominent clubs in Europe continues to scar the game.



actionatmatches

Professional footballmatches can be scenes of racial harassment and abuse, both on the pitch and in the crowd. They can also provide thebest arena for promoting the anti-racist message and building opposition to a racist minority.

We have already seen how fans have usedmatches to counter racistactivity with banners,balloons or leaflets, butmatches can also be thefocus of more official andorganised action.

In many countries clubs are designating games as anti-racism days wherepositive themes of unity and communitytogetherness areemphasized through articles in programmes,messages from players and choreographies from fans.

December 1992, Germany: All Bundesliga teams woreshirts with the slogan “My friend is a foreigner” tolaunch a campaign againstracism in football stadiums.

November 1999, Italy:Lazio and Juventus playerstook the field at the Romestadium wearing t-shirts with the slogan “No to anti-Semitism, Violence,Racism”. Italian fans have been using fanchoreographies from theterraces for a long time, with banners, chants and displays commonplace.

October 2002: Campaigners in Englandhave drawn on the idea ofdedicated anti-racism daysfor many years withmessages in programmes,banner displays before kickoff, etc, common alongsidefan choreographies andplayers wearing T-shirts.

These are just three examples:



1 Issue a statement saying the club will not tolerate racism, spelling out the action it will take against those engaged in racist chanting. The statement should be printed in all match programmes and displayed permanently and prominently around the ground.

2 Make public address announcements condemning racist chanting at matches.

3 Make it a condition for season ticket holders that they do not take part in racist abuse.

4 Take action to prevent the sale of racist literature inside and around the ground.

5 Take disciplinary action against players who engage in racial abuse.

6 Contact other clubs to make sure they understand the club’s policy on racism.

7 Encourage a common strategy between stewards and police for dealing with racist abuse.

8 Remove all racist graffiti from the ground as a matter of urgency.

9 Adopt an equal opportunities policy in relation to employment and service provision.

10 Work with all other groups and agencies, such as the players union, supporters, schools, voluntary organisations, youth clubs,sponsors, local authorities, local businesses and police, to develop pro-active programmes and make progress to raise awareness of campaigning to eliminate racial abuse and discrimination.

UEFA’s Ten Point Plan of Actionfor Professional Football Clubs



theFAREweeksofaction

Supporters of Dutch clubPSV Eindhoven started an action called “PSV fans against Racism”, inresponse to the racist abuseof Arsenal FC striker ThierryHenry at the recent UEFAChampions League matchbetween the two clubs.

In Austria, various migrantcommunities in Viennaorganised a charity footballtournament for the victims of floods in Austria. Amateurteams from Yugoslavian,Turkish, Romanian andBosnia-Herzegovnianbackgrounds took part.

Fans of the Belgian club R.Standard de Liègeperformed an anti-racistchoreography before ahome match, and players ofthe French top-flight club FCGirondins de Bordeauxsupported the action bywearing T-shirts with theslogan “South Stand AgainstRacism” during the warm-upfor the match against ASMonaco FC.

Over the course of twoweekends, English footballclubs dedicated homematches to the campaign tokick racism out of football.For example, Leeds Unitedand Arsenal FC held highlyvisible displays of support,with fans raising cards emphasisingopposition to racism.

In Germany, clubs of thestature of FC Schalke 04were prominent in anti-racistactivities. Fans held talkswith Schalke team coachFrank Neubarth and threeplayers, Niels Oude-Kamphuis (Netherlands),Anibal Matellan (Argentina)and German internationalGerald Asamoah.

Together with Italian, French and Spanish fans,the Italian group ProgettoUltrà produced a bilingualanti-racist magazine in Italianand English, called “Ultrasunisce – Razzismo divide”.

Fans of several leadingSwiss clubs met in Zurich toform an alliance againstracism called ‘Fans United’,and flyers against racismand violence weredistributed to fans beforematches at several stadiums in Yugoslavia.

FARE has held three European-wide Action Weeks AgainstRacism where the football family is invited to co-operate withlocal partners, NGO’s and fan groups, to organise activities inprofessional and community football. Last October’s weekfeatured over 600 activities in every corner of the continent.

Future weeks of action will continue to be held in October. The week of action for the season 2003/2004 is scheduledfor 16-28 October.

The activities in October 2002 included:



principlesofgoodpracticeWhilst it is impossible to prescribe all the elements ofsuccessful anti-racism interventions, there will be many thingsthat depend on local circumstances, there are someimportant principles that can guide positive action.

The following are by no means exhaustive but provide some useful pointers:

• Adopt a set of principlesfor action that can bewidely publicized to all inthe football community.Encourage widespreadpublicity and ownershipof these principles.

• Develop a nationallyappropriate plan ofaction with practicaloutcomes to implementthe principles above.Use the UEFA ten-pointplan as the basis ofaction. Set targets forprogress and monitorregularly.

• Develop your own brandname for the campaign,one that reflects footballin your country and canbe used on a wide rangeof materials. ‘UniteAgainst Racism’ or‘Football Against Racismin (your country)’ are twogood examples.

• Establish partnerships -involve fans, players,police, stewards andNGO’s with expertise inthe field in planning andimplementing action.Include ethnic minoritycommunities andmigrant groups.

• Show respect for theculture and traditions of fans and theirorganisations, seek toinstill anti-racism throughfan culture, using themethods and mediaassociated with fans and their groups.

• Draw on the support andappeal of high-profileplayers to underline anti-racist messages.

• Encourage ethnicminorities and migrantsto participate in footballat all levels and in allcapacities, and make itpossible for them to doso without fear ofdiscrimination or abuse.

• Make sure the messagereaches young people in particular, throughschools, youth clubs andchildren’s publications.

• Link campaigns againstracism in football towider campaigns againstracism and xenophobiain sport and society.

• Set up systems formonitoring and reportingracist abuse ordiscrimination in anyaspect of football.

• Ensure that action is taken against theperpetrators wheneverracism occurs, at everylevel of the game, sothat those involved knowit will not be tolerated.



acknowledgements

Design by The Works.

Photographs: Empics, FARE, Firo Sportphoto, Gepa Pictures, Studio Buzzi.

Printed and published by UEFA Communications and Public Affairs Division June 2003.

appendices

FairPlay. Different Colours.One Game.Möllwaldplatz 5/3A-1040 ViennaAustria

Tel +43 1 7133594 90Fax +43 1 7133594 73Email: [email protected]

Kick It OutUnit 31-4 Christina StreetLondon EC2A 4PAUnited Kingdom


Unione Italiana Sport PerTutti (UISP)Largo Franchellucci, 73I-00155 RomaItaly

Tel +39 06 408 15 681Fax +39 06 439 84 320Email: [email protected]

Progetto UltràVia Riva Reno 75/3I-40121 BolognaItaly

Tel +39 051 236634Fax +39 051 225203Email:[email protected]

Football Unites RacismDivides (FURD)The StablesSharrow LaneSheffield S11 8AEUnited Kingdom


Show Racism the RedCard (SRTRC)PO Box 141Whitley BayUK-NE 26 3 YH Newcastle-upon-TyneUnited Kingdom


Bündnis AktiverFußballfans e.V. (BAFF)P. O. Box 1123D-63401 HanauDeutschland


Never Again Association/Stowarzyszenie NigdyWiecejP.O Box 6PL-03-700 Warszawa 4Poland

Tel +48 603 64 72 28Email: [email protected]/nw/

contacts

Union des associationsEuropéennes de football (UEFA) Assistance Programmes (Unite Against Racism)Route de Genève 46CH-1260 Nyon 2

Tel +41 22 994 44 44Fax +41 22 994 37 30uefa.com

Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE)

Möllwaldplatz 5/3A-1040 ViennaAustria

Tel +43 1 7133594 90Fax +43 1 7133594 73www.farenet.org

core members

uefa.com switzerland ch-1260 nyon route de genève 46 uefa ...€¦ · august 2001, romania: during...

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