Richard Sutcliffe: UEFA should be in the dock for failing to tackle racism issue

Hooliganism, heavy-handed police, prices of everything from hotel rooms to the price of a pint being ramped up, the stadia not being ready in time.

All these and so much more have become as reliable a sign that either a World Cup or European Championships is just around the corner as FA Cup final day once was.

In this respect, Euro 2012 has not disappointed.

Whether it be Sky Sports News showing footage of a pile of rubble in Donetsk where an important link road is supposed to be or newspapers printing images of the local police looking more like extras from Robocop, the countdown to the 14th staging of what used to be known as the European Nations’ Cup has taken a familiar pattern.

Most of these prophecies of doom fail to come to fruition, with even the local organising committee insisting last Thursday that Donetsk would, indeed, have its promised road in time for today’s opening game in the city between France and England.

But the one story that featured heavily during the build-up that this correspondent feels will continue to rear its ugly head throughout Euro 2012 is racism.

Any supporter with only a passing interest in football outside this country will know the unenviable reputation that the game bears behind the old Iron Curtain.

Much as was the case here in the Eighties, the abusing of players because of their skin colour has become an increasing problem in a lot of the old Soviet states. In Bulgaria, too, where I was witness to this last September when supporting England in their Euro 2012 qualifier.

Due to most of us not being members of the official Travel Club, we had bought tickets for the home section once in Sofia and thoroughly enjoyed what proved to be a comfortable 3-0 win.

The one blot, however, on the night was the sound of monkey chants being directed at Ashley Young, Ashley Cole and Theo Walcott from the opposite side of the stadium.

So, a couple of weeks ago, when the BBC first screened the Panorama investigation into Euro 2012 showing how racism and anti-Semitism were rampant in both Poland and Ukraine, I may have been shocked by the level of violence meted out to one group of Indian students taking the opportunity to watch a major game in Kharkiv but I was not surprised by the sentiments of those featured.

The subsequent denials and accusations of sensationalist reporting from Euro 2012 organisers were as depressing as they were predictable.

If the worst does happen and racism scars Euro 2012, it will not just be the knuckle-dragging half-wits of either Ukraine or Poland who will be culpable. UEFA, too, will surely be in the dock, too, for the near flippant manner in which they have treated problems in the past.

In April, for instance, Porto were fined around £14,000 after their fans abused Mario Balotelli with monkey chants during a Europa League match against Manchester City.

That the English club were fined £24,740 for taking to the field a minute late ahead of the second half against the same opponents said everything about how much of a priority keeping the TV paymasters happy is compared to tackling a disgraceful stain on not only football but also society.

Sadly, I fear we can expect more of the same from Europe’s governing body if, as feared, the racists do their worst.