About FARE

Football is the biggest sport in the world and belongs to us all. It should be the right of every person to play, watch and discuss freely, without fear. FARE campaigns to tackles discrimination and use football as a means of overcoming social exclusion.

In February 1999, on the initiative of supporters groups from different regions of Europe, a meeting, which also included football associations and players unions, was held in Vienna to develop a common strategy and policy. Out of this emerged the FARE network - a group of organisations from several European countries.

FARE works through co-ordinated action and common efforts, at local, national and international level, to bring together all those interested in combating discrimination in football.

 
FARE logo

The general objectives of the FARE network are:

  • - To promote a commitment to fight discrimination at all levels of football across Europe – in stadiums, on the pitch, in administration, in coaching and sport education and through the media
  • - Use the appeal of football to tackle societal discrimination
  • - To foster networking and exchange of good practice transnationally
  • - To undertake activities to capacity build and empower marginalized and discriminated groups, in particular young people, migrants, ethnic minorities, members of the LGBT communities and women.

A short history of FARE

1996 (January) Four Projects, including Progetto Ultra (Bologna), Football Unites Racism Devides (Sheffield) and Dortmund Fanprojekt, recieve funding from the European Commission´s Cities Against Racism initiative

1997 As part of the European Year against Racism various foot- ball projects are sponsored by the European Commission (EC)

1999 (February) Establishment of the FARE network and adoption of the FARE Plan of Action in VIenna

2000 (June) Official launch of FARE at the European Parliament in Brussels before EURO 2000

2001 (April) First FARE Action Week against Racism and Discrimination in European Football with 50 events in nine countries

2001 (July) FARE representatives speak at the FIFA Conference against Racism in Buenos Aires

2001 (August) UEFA award their Monaco charity cheque of one million Swiss Francs to FARE; FARE becomes a member of the UEFA football and social responsibility portfolio

2002 (February) FARE networking conference at Sheffield

2002 (September) Start of a two- year anti-discrimination project co-funded by the EC

2002 (October) UEFA gets behind the FARE ten-point plan of action

2002 (November) FARE receives the Free Your Mind award at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Barcelona

2003 (March) The Unite Against Racism conference hosted by Chelsea FC is jointly organised by UEFA, FARE and the English FA

2003 (October) Some 400 initiatives in 24 countries join the 4th Action Week. FARE receives Jean Kahn Award from the EUMC.

2004 (June) FARE launches a "Football Unites" programme at UEFA EURO 2004 in Portugal

2005 (April) FARE networking conference in Bratislava

2005 (November) FARE Public Hearing at the European Parliament in Brussels

 

2006 (January) FARE pro- gramme in Eastern Europe funded by the Stand up Speak up campaign

2006 (January) FIFA and FARE establish a strategic alliance in the field of anti-discrimination

2006 (February) The second Unite Against Racism conference is jointly organised by UEFA, FARE and the Spanish FA hosted by FC Barcelona

2006 (March) European declaration on tackling racism in football becomes a formal resolution at the European Parliament in Strasbourg

2006 (June) FARE Programme at FIFA World Cup 2006

2006 (October) With more than 700 initiatives in 37 European countries – including the involvement of all 32 Champions League teams – the 7th FARE Action Week is Europe's biggest anti- racism campaign in football so far

2007 (May) FARE networking conference on ethnic minorities and equality, hosted by the French Football Federation, LICRA and PSG in Paris

2010  After an organisational and managerial restructuring process  the secretariat is now London based and co-ordinates the programme
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