Soccer: Arsenal's Henry launches anti-racist campaign

France and Arsenal striker Thierry Henry. File picture / Reuters

LONDON - France and Arsenal striker Thierry Henry has launched a "stand up, speak up" campaign across Europe in a bid to stamp out racism in soccer.

Fans can buy wristbands of interlocked black and white straps to support the campaign which is backed by television advertisements featuring World Player of the Year Ronaldinho of Barcelona, Inter Milan's Adriano and Chelsea's Claude Makelele.

Henry, sitting alongside England defender Rio Ferdinand, said the campaign had been sparked by Spanish coach Luis Aragones referring to Henry as "that black shit" in an attempt to motivate Jose Antonio Reyes who plays with Henry at Arsenal.

"Everyone was asking me 'what are you going to do?' and I said to myself I would try to bring everyone behind me to fight racism," he told a news conference. "It's something we need to get rid of.

"The game is suffering, we all suffer because we are all human beings."

Henry approached the sports goods company Nike after the Aragones incident in mid-November and they collaborated on the campaign designed to energise the "silent majority" in soccer and raise funds for anti-racist projects across Europe.

"Stand up, speak up" (www.standupspeakup.com) advertisements will be televised in Britain, Spain, Germany, Italy and France when the campaign is launched on February 5-6.

Other players in the ads include Real Madrid's Roberto Carlos and Manchester United's Ruud van Nistelrooy.

The Dutch, Portugal and Russia teams will also wear special black and white shirts in friendlies next month.

"It's a massive issue which needs to be jumped on," said Ferdinand. "If we get the players in, the fans can follow."

Ferdinand was in the England side hounded by monkey chants in a friendly in Madrid soon after the Aragones incident and both he and Henry called on soccer authorities to take tougher action against racism.

"I was amazed by the way the English team didn't lose it (their cool), I was amazed they finished the game with 11 (players)," Henry said.

"You don't know how hard it is to keep cool on the pitch. We can't do anything on the pitch - if you (react) you get a red card."

Asked by a Spanish journalist if he could not understand Aragones's attempt to spur Reyes, Henry laughed sardonically. "No way is it possible to say something like that," he said.

"Surely there is some other way to motivate a player - I don't get it. You can always forgive but I will never forget."

- REUTERS