Former England International Sol Campbell has warned fans off of Euro 2012 (sun.co.uk)
More controversy about the worlds of racism and football as the two collide before the upcoming Euro 2012 tournament in Poland and the Ukraine. Former England International and Arsenal player Sol Campbell has warned England supporters to stay away from the matches. Campbell told the BBC, ''Stay at home, watch it on TV. Don't even risk it ... because you could end up coming back in a coffin.''
Campbell's comments come with a BBC program called "Panorama" on which he viewed fans from Poland and the Ukraine giving Nazi salutes and taunting black players by making monkey noises. More footage was shown of Asian students being penned in and attacked at one of the stadiums that will be used a venue for the tournament. Campbell also made the comment that he did not think that Poland and the Ukraine should have been awarded the tournament since they appear to have these issues.
''What they should say is, `If you want this tournament, you sort your problems out. Until we see a massive improvement ... you do not deserve these prestigious tournaments in your country.'"
These comments come on the heels of the families of England's Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain indicating that they will probably not travel to the tournament for fear of racist abuse. English FA chairman David Bernstein has also expressed his concerns to UEFA President Michael Platini. According to these concerns, an anti-racism group investigated allegations in Poland and the Ukraine and found 195 different racist incidents at matches in the host countries in an 18 month period ending in March 2011.
UEFA has had this to say about the allegations:
"The tournament clearly creates an opportunity to address and confront such societal issues. UEFA's `zero tolerance' approach to racism is still valid both on and off the pitch and ultimately the referee has the power to stop or abandon a match should racist incidents occur.''
All of England's group stage matches will be in the Ukraine, and the FA has reiterated the fact the referees will have the power to stop matches if racism ends up being an issue. The British Police will also have a presence at the tournament.
These allegations have been getting a lot of play in England. It'll be interesting to see how different representatives from England, UEFA, and the host countries address these comments and the underlying issues in the coming days.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this entry.
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