UEFA urged to act on anti-LGBT banners across Polish football
Pride In Football and Three Lions Pride call out discriminatory displays at domestic matches in Poland
Saturday 23 March 2019 14:27, UK
UEFA are being asked to put pressure on the Polish FA following a series of anti-LGBT displays at domestic matches in Poland in recent weeks.
The Fare Network, the Europe-wide umbrella organisation devoted to tackling discrimination, has also highlighted the issue in recent weeks.
Now, Pride in Football, the UK's alliance of LGBT+ football supporters, and the England LGBT+ fans group Three Lions Pride have written an open letter to European football's governing body.
In the letter, they call for football authorities to take a strong stand against the discrimination, and suggest one course of action that should be considered is the cancellation of Poland's European Qualifier against Latvia in Warsaw on Sunday.
"We are deeply concerned at the apparent lack of action from the Polish FA in response to recent anti-LGBT and homophobic fan banners at clubs in Poland," the letter read.
"LGBT+ fans (and all supporters including those from any minority community) should feel safe and welcome to watch their team wherever they are playing.
"UEFA's constitutional machinery champions such equality - and the criteria for eligibility to participate in its competitions specifies that member associations actively address any form of discrimination.
"The absence of a visible response to displays of bigotry at its league clubs in the last few weeks is a clear breach of this requirement and we suggest that the Polish national team should forfeit the right to play Sunday's game in Warsaw unless there is an immediate and unqualified condemnation of the actions ahead of the game.
"As fans, we understand it would be devastating for both countries' supporters and players to be penalised for the behaviour of others, but it is well within the Polish FA's power to ensure urgent action is taken to redeem the situation and prevent such a sanction."
