A national campaign aimed at combating racism in soccer has praised efforts being made to halt the problem in Brad-ford.

Bradford City helped to launch the high-profile Show Racism The Red Card earlier this season.

And now Kick It Out, the organisation running the Let's Kick Racism Out of Football campaign, is backing schemes in the district to stamp out racism in the amateur game.

The campaign's co-ordinator Piara Powar praised the work of players from several Bradford-based teams who have joined forces to form a new group, provisionally called the Sports Campaign Against Racism.

He said the West Riding County FA, which has come under fire from sides made up of mainly black and Asian players, was also showing a positive attitude to combating racism.

"It has expressed a keenness to try to take this issue on board, which is a little bit at odds with what's happened with a couple of teams recently," said Mr Powar. Kick It Out has published its first annual report in which it warns that there should be no complacency about racism.

Sir Herman Ouseley, chairman of Kick It Out, says in the introduction: "Racism in football still remains a problem in our midst. Even worse, there still appears to be a tendency from on high to deny its significance and therefore resist the need to take action."

Mr Powar said positive progress had been made in the campaign's first year.

But he added: "We make a number of criticisms of professional clubs within the report. Many are failing to take up the challenge of rooting out racism with even the most basic of measures".

T&A Opinion

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