UEFA today proposed alternative dates for the arena in Munich to be illuminated in rainbow colours after receiving a request for it to be done at the upcoming UEFA EURO 2020 group stage match between Germany and Hungary on Wednesday.
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is the governing body of European football and the umbrella organisation for 55 national associations.
It had yesterday received a request from the mayor of Munich, Dieter Reiter, on behalf of the city council, to have the arena in Munich illuminated in rainbow colours during the EURO 2020 group stage match between Germany and Hungary.
In this letter, the mayor outlined the reasoning behind this request to be a political decision which has been taken by the Hungarian parliament.
UEFA today said that it understands that the intention is also to send a message to promote diversity and inclusion – a cause it has been supporting for many years having joined forces with European clubs, national teams and their players, launching campaigns and plenty of activities all over Europe to promote the ethos that football should be open to everyone.
Consequently, the body proposed alternative dates for the illumination which align better with existing events.
"UEFA is determined to play its part in positive change and believes that discrimination can only be fought in close collaboration with others. As European football’s governing body, UEFA recognises it has an obligation to unite and coordinate the efforts of fans and institutions across Europe – because it is everybody’s responsibility to rid discrimination from the game," it said in a statement Tuesday.
UEFA said that, in the build up towards the UEFA EURO 2020 tournament, it has kicked off a new campaign called 'Sign for an Equal Game' encouraging fans, players, clubs, national associations and other football stakeholders to join the fight against discrimination. Its main purpose is to make people aware that football is for everyone, no matter who they are, where they are from and how they play.
"Racism, homophobia, sexism, and all forms of discrimination are a stain on our societies – and represent one of the biggest problems faced by the game today. Discriminatory behaviour has marred both matches themselves and, outside the stadiums, the online discourse around the sport we love," UEFA said today.
"However UEFA, through its statutes, is a politically and religiously neutral organisation. Given the political context of this specific request – a message aiming at a decision taken by the Hungarian national parliament – UEFA must decline this request," it added.
UEFA has nevertheless proposed to the city of Munich to illuminate the stadium with the rainbow colours on either 28 June – the Christopher Street Liberation Day – or between 3 and 9 July which is the Christopher Street Day week in Munich.
