Inside Story - Will racism overshadow Euro 2012?
Euro 2012 kicked off on Friday. But Europe's biggest footballing event has been overshadowed by accusations of racism in the host nations, Poland and Ukraine. Ukraine says that racism allegations are being used to discredit the country and its Euro 2012 director has insisted that the country does not have a problem with racism. Inside Story asks if the fears of racism in Poland and Ukraine are justified and how those fears reflect on the host nations. The Dutch team claims that they have already been subjected to racist chants during a training session, with players saying they heard monkey chants coming from the terraces. UEFA denies that the incident was racially motivated. Do countries that are given the opportunity to host international sporting events have an obligation to stamp out this kind of behaviour? Is racism in Poland and Ukraine any different to that found on the rest of the continent? And should referees stop matches if players are racially abused?