Champions League captains to wear anti-racism armbands

Champions League captains - including Chelsea's John Terry - will be asked to wear armbands backing an anti-racism campaign at matches this week.

Chelsea captain John Terry

Team captains playing in Champions and Europa League matches this week will be asked to wear anti-racism armbands as part of a campaign against discrimination, European football's governing body has confirmed.

UEFA said it was backing a campaign by FARE, a Europe-wide group aiming to rid football of racism, in asking captains to wear the armbands featuring the words "Unite against racism".

The move means John Terry, the Chelsea captain, would be required to wear one should he captain the side against Shaktar Donetsk tomorrow night.

Terry last week accepted a four-match ban for racially abusing QPR's Anton Ferdinand, but the suspension only applies to domestic matches.

It comes against a backdrop of racism rows across Europe, including allegations of racism by Serbian fans during the under 21 match with England, and Lazio being fined EU40,000 (Dh189,700) for racist behaviour by their supporters

Frequently criticised for not doing enough to stamp out racism, UEFA said 30-second video messages would be played on stadium screens before games, and teams would be accompanied by children wearing "Unite against Racism" T-shirts.

"UEFA is committed to tackling discrimination in football and we encourage football fans to join us in our efforts to value respect for players, officials, opponents and fellow supporters of all nationalities, religious backgrounds, sexual orientation and ethnic origins," said UEFA President Michel Platini.

"For over 10 years we have worked alongside the FARE network and will continue to strive towards unity in football."

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