Sol Campbell warns fans to stay away from Euro 2012
BRITAIN. May 29. KAZINFORM Euro 2012 should not have been awarded to Poland and Ukraine because of entrenched racism and violence, Sol Campbell has told the BBC's Panorama.
The former England captain's advice to fans is to "stay home, watch it on TV... don't even risk it."
According to BBC, Uefa, European football's governing body, said awarding the tournament to the two nations was an opportunity to tackle social challenges like racism.
It said the tournament was a chance for both countries to improve their image.
Panorama spent a month filming at matches in both the joint host nations and witnessed Nazi salutes from the terraces, black players being taunted with monkey chants, rampant anti-Semitism and a vicious assault on a group of Asian students.
After watching the footage, Mr Campbell said he believes Uefa should not have chosen the countries as hosts of such a prestigious event in the first place.
"I think that they were wrong, because what they should say is that '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.'"
In a statement, Uefa said: "Uefa Euro 2012 brings the spotlight on the host countries and 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."
Uefa said it was working with both Poland and Ukraine to ensure the safety of travelling teams and their fans.
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