City signs up to fair play football charter

LIVERPOOL has made a major European signing - by committing to a football charter designed to promote fair play in cities staging International matches.

Just weeks after the city was chosen as a host city for England's World Cup 2018 bid, Council Leader Warren Bradley is in Barcelona with UEFA president Michel Platini to sign a ‘Declaration of Goodwill' which has been jointly proposed by the games governing body and the Spanish city.

Liverpool is one of only three British cities to sign up to the charter, along with Manchester and Glasgow.

It emphasises a shared will among clubs, host cities and fans to:

• Combat violence, acts of vandalism and other forms of anti-social conduct at international matches

• To seek to improve communication and information exchanges at such gatherings

• To look at ways of how best to welcome and host large numbers of supporters at games

• To examine methods of providing support to away fans with regards to information about the customs and laws of the city they are visiting

Councillor Bradley said: "I am delighted that Liverpool has been able to sign up to this charter.

"We are the most successful footballing city in the country with two major Premiership clubs, and have a proud tradition stretching back decades of staging top international games.

"We have an excellent track record of working with our partners such as the clubs and police to make sure that fans have an enjoyable but safe time while they are in the city, and we have a lot of good practice which we can share.

"One of the key reasons we were successful in becoming a Host City for England's 2018 World Cup bid was because the FA were impressed with our plans to create Fan Fest sites and make sure that supporters have a great time while in Liverpool."

Also at the event in Barcelona are officials from other European cities and representatives from clubs belonging to the European Club Association (ECA) - the body that represents 144 clubs from all 53 UEFA member associations.

Today (Tuesday 2 February), Councillor Bradley is speaking at a Fan Hosting Seminar aimed at sharing experiences of staging international football matches. The event, held under the theme Football, Host Cities and RESPECT, brings together a variety of football stakeholders in the Catalan football stronghold.

"The UEFA club competitions are major sports and media events in Europe," said Mr Platini and the Mayor of Barcelona, Jordi Hereu.

"Thanks to its popularity, European football not only attracts supporters to stadiums, but also offers media exposure to host cities as prized tourist destinations.

"However, European cities which host international matches sometimes face public order problems before and after a match.

"We are all aware of the importance of solving such problems and promoting hospitality, respect for fair play, fairness and sportsmanship not only inside stadiums, but also in the host city streets.

"UEFA and the city of Barcelona have therefore taken the joint decision to propose that European cities and football clubs sign a declaration of goodwill to promote fair play within cities hosting international football matches."

For more information about the Declaration of Goodwill visit: http://www.uefa.com/uefa/keytopics/kind=8/newsid=949211.html

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