Архiв

FA to complain to BBC over Ukrainian racism report

FA to complain to BBC over Ukrainian racism report
The English Football Association are expected to make a formal complaint to the BBC over its Panorama's report about racist violence and anti-semitism in Polish and Ukrainian football.

In May the BBC Panorama program showed a film about racism and football hooliganism in the stadiums in Ukraine and Poland, and former national team player Sol Campbell advised British people to avoid a trip to the two Eastern European countries.

The UK newspaper Daily Mail says the 3,000-plus supporters who have made the trip have found little evidence of the problems highlighted in the documentary, to the extent that one of their favourite chants at games has been: "**** Sol Campbell, we do what we want".

The former Arsenal and Tottenham defender's claimed in the documentary that "You could end up coming back in a coffin" by attending the Euros.

On the eve of the third round match in Group D in Ukraine, English supporters of Roy Hodgson’s team held a protest in Donetsk which ridiculed the remarks made by Campbell.

The FA’s top brass believes that the unprofessional actions of British television deprived the national team of a great deal of support from fans at Euro-2012 in Ukraine.