Never Again publishes anti-racism guide for Polish clubs
Polish organisation Never Again has released a toolkit containing practical guidelines and advice concerning the elimination of racist and xenophobic behaviour from stadiums and pitches.
The toolkit, entitled ‘How to fight racism?’, is tailor-made for Polish football clubs.
The manual has been prepared with the support of UEFA and the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) network. The Council of Europe, the Polish Football Association and the Polish Former Football Players’ Association have also expressed their support for the project.
Jacek Purski, a representative of the ‘Let’s Kick Racism Out of the Stadiums’ campaign, explained: “We have prepared the toolkit in a CD format, we have drawn from the best European experiences, and adapted them for use by Polish clubs.
“It is supposed to be a powerful instrument in the combat against discrimination, racism and prejudice. We propose good solutions and show how to promote multiculturalism in sport and in the stadiums.”
Advice
‘How to fight racism?’ contains explanations of what racism in sport is, what its most common manifestations are as well as information on how to combat it successfully. It presents advice and tips, which have already proved to be successful in many Western European and Polish football clubs.
The toolkit has been sent to all of the clubs of the Ekstraklasa (Polish premier league). Soon it will also reach clubs from the lower divisions.
“Having in mind the preparation for the EURO 2012 we have to work especially hard to eliminate racist behaviour from the stadiums. It’s our common responsibility,” says Dr Rafal Pankowski, the coordinator of the East Europe Monitoring Centre established by Never Again, FARE and UEFA.
The ‘Let’s Kick Racism Out of the Stadiums’ campaign was initiated by Never Again in 1996. It is aimed at football fans, players, coaches, referees, sport officials and journalists.
Since 2009 Never Again has taken responsibility for the regional coordination of the FARE East European Development Project, supported by UEFA in the lead up to EURO 2012, with a focus on Poland and Ukraine.