England manager Roy Hodgson has said that UEFA must take a firm stance against racism at the upcoming Euro 2012 championships.
The BBC's Panorama show aired a programme last Thursday documenting racial and anti-semitic abuse within stadia in Poland and Ukraine.
During the programme, ex-England defender Sol Campbell advised fans not to travel to Eastern Europe for the competition.
Hodgson, whose England team were greeted by two Holocaust survivors at their Hertfordshire hotel, said that it must be UEFA who take action should any players be subjected to racial abuse during the tournament.
"My stance is simple; it's a matter for referees and UEFA," explained Hodgson. "You're talking about something that is abhorrent to anybody, not just in football but in every walk of life.
"It is a topical question and one that I am sure is being heavily debated in UEFA - not just today but I bet they've been doing it for the last four years since it was decided the tournament would take place in Poland and Ukraine.
"If UEFA decides that if something happens it will be the referee's job, [and says] this is what the referee will do, we will be the first people to side along with that. But we, as football people, shouldn't be taking the initiative. Players and coaches may come out and say things but I want UEFA and referees to control the issue."
The Polish National Tourist Office have issued a response to Sol Campbell's views in last Thursday's programme.
Michael Penkman
