UEFA says No to AS Nancy’s ‘No to Racism’ shirts

By: Bob | October 17th, 2006

In light of terrible instance of fan racism in Serbia this past weekend and considering the fact that it Football Against Racism in Europe Action Week, you would think that UEFA would be pleased with the French club AS Nancy’s decision to wear shirts that read “No to racism” during UEFA Cup matches. Think again.

Europe’s football ruling body has banned AS Nancy from wearing the shirts in the competition because they do not comply with the competition’s rules because the slogan is on the neck, where the only writing allowed is the name of the sponsor.

So let’s get this straight. A club is allowed to pimp a sponsor on its shirt’s neck (take a look at AS Nancy’s shirt to the left, plenty of sponsors everywhere and a tiny little phrase by the collar), but it isn’t allowed to use the space to promote something that UEFA itself says it is earnest about promoting and something that is an issue for everyone associated with the sport. Un-firkin’-believable.

If ever we needed further proof of where the true concerns of the UEFA bureaucrats lie, this is it. It is no secret that they are all about corporate money, but the least they can do is let us pretend otherwise for once.

	Soccer Forums	Team/International Results

Category: Europe, French Ligue 1

Tags: AS Nancy, Europe, French Ligue 1, no to racism, racism, UEFA, UEFA Cup

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Comments  

• Isaiah |  October 18th, 2006 at 12:57 am

  
  
  

  Neither FIFA nor UEFA seem to want to deal with racism in in a really serious manner and that is very distressing. Deal with it, punish people, lose a little money and it’ll come back twofold when more fans show up because there are fewer ultras groups out there beating people up.

  It does show where their priorities lie and that is sickening.

  Posted from United States

  

• Daniel |  October 18th, 2006 at 2:24 pm

  
  
  

  Well said Isaiah. FIFA and UEFA stance on racism is a joke.

  Posted from United States

  

• sam |  October 19th, 2006 at 5:03 pm

  
  
  

  tis a sad day when multibillionaire old guys get to show off their new consumer magnet on a jersey, and humanitarian, uefa “approved” slogans are banned.
  unbelievable

  Posted from Canada

  

• Mark |  November 5th, 2006 at 10:26 pm

  
  
  

  Shame. I know that UEFA is trying to fight this problem, but with little stuff like this, it makes UEFA just another bureacratic body stuck in real politics, and football should not have politics. “Say No To Racism” could have great potential if it had the backing of UEFA, epecially in French Ligue 1 where there are problems with racism at times. The only thing that boggles me here is the AS Nancy’s jersey: there are so many sponsors that it makes the shirt look like a clown vest. What’s up with that? EPL jersies only have one sponsor, very clean cut kits.

  Posted from United States

  

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