EURO 2021

The UEFA Euro 2012 semi-final matches in Donetsk and Warsaw will see the captains of the national teams of Spain, Portugal, Germany and Italy reaffirm their stance against racism as the semi-final matches tonight (27 June) and tomorrow (28 June) see the culmination of the Respect Diversity – Football Unites campaign at Euro 2012. Football supporters will be a part of the campaign, by joining the fan choreographies organised in the stands at both stadiums and which will see the word RESPECT and the national team flags appear just minutes […]

With a week to go until the start of Euro 2012, the FARE network programme for Poland and Ukraine is making final preparations ahead of a launch in Warsaw next Friday (8 June). With concerns over potential racism and far-right activity high on the public agenda, the FARE programme includes an unprecedented level of monitoring at matches and a high profile campaign that comes to a focus at the semi- finals of the tournament. FARE has been working with UEFA on a ‘Respect Diversity- Football Unites’ programme that will include […]

Numerous sites in Poland and Ukraine begin to display the symbol of Inclusive Zones contributing to a friendly multi-cultural atmosphere at EURO 2012. Schools, NGOs, local authorities, cultural institutions, community centres, sports clubs as well as businesses, shops and pubs have all been invited to join the initiative. The Inclusive Zones initiative is a part of the multi-faceted ‘RESPECT Diversity – Football Unites’ project in frames of the official UEFA EURO 2012 Social Responsibility programme. The project is delivered on behalf of the FARE network by by its long-established regional […]

The ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association will this week host a conference to launch the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) programme to challenge extremism and racism at next year’s UEFA European Championships in Poland and Ukraine. An audience of Polish government ministers, European activists, former players and representatives of governing bodies of football will attend the Polish Parliament and the Polish Foreign Ministry Palace for an expert seminar on Tuesday and Wednesday. The seminar will set out the issues facing the host countries of the Euro 2012. The ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association, […]

A Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) consultation meeting took place in Kiev on 2 May. The informal meeting was well attended, which illustrates a strong interest in common activities against racism in football among Ukrainian FARE partners. It is also a testimony to the networking work in Ukraine conducted by the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association in frames of the FARE East European Development Project. Among others, the following groups and organizations were represented: the Football Against Prejudices coalition, African and Indian migrant communities, the Congress of National Minorities in Ukraine, […]

The anti-racist East Europe Monitoring Centre starts its operation in Warsaw this month. The newly launched centre is going to monitor, research and document cases of racism and xenophobia across the region, with a special emphasis on Poland and Ukraine. ‘The growing social significance of football in Poland and Ukraine before 2012 provides an excellent opportunity to highlight the pressing issues of xenophobia and racism in Eastern Europe’ – said sociologist Dr Rafal Pankowski, the Monitoring Centre coordinator. ‘Our starting point is racism in football, but we see it in […]

Four Polish cities picked; Krakow not on the list After months of waiting and speculation in media from Gazeta Wyborcza to The Guardian, UEFA has finally announced the list of host cities for the 2012 European Championships. At a press conference this morning in Bucharest, UEFA President Michel Platini announced the final choices for host cities for Euro 2012: for Poland, Warsaw, Gdańsk, Wrocław, and Poznań are confirmed. Unfortunately for Krakow, this means the city, along with Chorzów, is now out of the running. Krakow’s mayor took an optimistic tone […]