UEFA steps up efforts against football racism
17.02.2006
The decision to move the game was a punishment from the Italian soccer league's disciplinary commission that holds clubs responsible for the behaviour of their fans. And the commission is in line with UEFA who is now advocating tougher punishments and new European-wide legislation to combat racism in football.
“We have not explored the powers we have at our disposal,” said Lars-Christer Olsson, chief executive of European soccer’s governing body when he spoke to 400 delegates at the "Unite Against Racism" conference earlier this month in Barcelona in Spain.
UEFA wants European leagues to have anti-racism sanctions in place by next season, and together with the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) network, UEFA is now preparing a guide for clubs on how to stamp out racism on and off the field.
Olsson also said that his group and FIFA need the support of national authorities, teams and officials.
“Tougher sanctions alone will not solve the problem,” he said.
The conference in Barcelona was the second Unite Against Racism conference. The first was held three years ago in Chelsea in Britain. That led to the adoption of a ten point anti-racism plan but European football continues to experience racism.
Former Republic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr, for instance, got widespread media attention when he disclosed his personal experiences of racism in Irish football in January this year. At the launch of a tournament for clubs from Ireland's ethnic minorities, Brian Kerr told journalists how he had recieved vile and abuse letters about some of his players who are black.
Brian Kerr passed the letters on to the police.
"It was the first time I've really come across it up front and up close to me. It was vile stuff, but it was sad really, and it just shows you that there's some twisted minds around the place. The players are as Irish as Irish can be. It emphasised for me how narrow-minded people can be, but also the responsibility of people in sport to rid ourselves of that type of thinking," said Brian Kerr.