No to Racism, say UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Women's Champions League teams

048 – Players and clubs give support to UEFA's No to Racism campaign at 60 matches across Europe

The UEFA No to Racism campaign is once more ready to challenge discrimination with the backing of star names, top clubs and – for the first time ever – the UEFA Women's Champions League. The campaign traditionally takes place during the Football People action weeks organised by UEFA social responsibility partner, the FARE network. The campaign runs from 6 to 20 October across 60 matches in UEFA's top club competitions, and aims to tackle discrimination and celebrate diversity.

"Racism, discrimination and intolerance have no place in football," said UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin. "I believe strongly that we must stand up to racism and all forms of discrimination, and I am proud of the work done by UEFA and our partners in tackling these issues."

UEFA and the FARE network's commitment to challenging racism, intolerance and xenophobia is being emphasised through activities witnessed by millions of fans in the stadiums and on television. No to Racism TV spots are being shown in stadiums during half-time of matches, alongside announcements and print advertisements. Every team is accompanied onto the pitch by children wearing No to Racism T-shirts, and captains are asked to wear a No to Racism armband.

For the first time ever, the UEFA Women's Champions League is part of the campaign. UEFA's top club competitions will all be promoting the same message: We are all Football People, regardless of background or status, and we stand together against discrimination. In addition, the Football People weeks themselves directly involve over 100,000 people in activities spanning 50 countries around Europe.

UEFA's global ambassador for diversity and change, Clarence Seedorf, shared his views on the campaign and the necessity of engaging young people: "Diversity is a strength, not a weakness," he said. "We need to educate young people, give them the possibility to understand that diversity is positive, and to feel and experience this, so they can then join forces in promoting a more diverse world."

UEFA's commitment continues before and after the Football People action weeks, through the No to Racism campaign and the implementation of the UEFA Congress anti-racism resolution from May 2013, imposing stricter sanctions on racist behaviour to eliminate any discrimination from football. The sanctions include encouraging referees to stop, suspend or even abandon a game if racist incidents occur; the imposition of up to ten-match suspensions on any player or team official found guilty of racist conduct; and partial or total stadium closures if fans engage in racist behaviour.

Note to editors:

• Latest No to Racism TV spot

• Watch the full interview with Clarence Seedorf

• Watch Ian Rush's interview – the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League ambassador talks about his experience of discrimination in football, and the importance of being respectful on and off the pitch

• To learn more about the FARE Football People action weeks, please visit farenet.org

You can also follow this week's activities on our official channels:

Facebook/UEFA / Twitter @UEFA / Instagram @UEFA_official / UEFA.org