Fortnight of Action Action against Racism in Europe

All 32 teams in the Champions League will take part in the FARE action week by supporting the message ‘Unite Against Racism’ on the t-shirts worn by the mascots leading them onto the field.Interview on racism with UEFA spokesman speaking ahead of the UEFA/ FARE fortnight of action William Gaillard at the following link, http://video.uefa.com/video/VOD/Kind=220/free,newsId=386306.html?MediaURL=/MultimediaFiles/News/uefa/UEFAMedia/386306.asxUnited against racismOther activities will include the captains of all the teams wearing Unite Against Racism armbands, announcements being made to fans in stadiums over the loudspeaker calling for opposition to all forms of racism, and Unite Against Racism adverts being placed in matchday programmes as well as the official UEFA Champions League magazine Champions.During the 16 games of match day 3 more than half a million fans will directly be reached with an anti-racism message.The UEFA president, Lennart Johansson, welcomed the Action Week and called upon anyone in the football world who has not yet taken a stand against racism to join the fight.”UEFA”, said Lennart Johansson, “is proud to be backing the FARE Action Week against racism and discrimination. We appreciate the opportunity to underline our unwavering commitment to eradicating racism in our game. We know that racism can¹t be beaten in a single week, but we hope these activities will be a catalyst that engages more and more members of the football family in the fight against racism and discrimination.”Fight racism, celebrate football>From 17 to 30 October the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) network is launching for the seventh time the European Action Week against Racism and Discrimination in Football.More than 600 groups in 37 countries will take part. The emphasis for this season is to call for creative action for the inclusion of ethnic minorities into all levels of football (teams, stadiums, administration, coaching). Moreover, in the course of the forthcoming Action Week FARE supports also initiatives who target discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender.Kurt Wachter, from FARE’s Austrian partner FairPlay, said:”The Action Week gains more and more support each year, helping to disseminate the anti- racism message across the continent. The partnerships established during the period have lead to increased action on the issue and we hope that those engaging with the FARE Action Week for the first time will continue to join us in our efforts to eradicate all forms of racism and discrimination from the game after the period.”For further information please contact:Kurt Wachter, FARE partner FairPlay-vidc, Tel. 0043 1 7133594-90, fare@vidc.org,Leon Mann, FARE partner Kick It Out, Tel. 0044 207 684 4884, leon@kickitout.orgNotesAn electronic version of new FARE Action Week poster can be downloaded from:www.farenet.orgThe List of Activities during the FARE Action Week will be published soon on www.farenet.org.