UEFA's racism ruling backed

UEFA president Platini on Wednesday confirmed referees had been instructed to call a halt to matches at this summer's tournament if a player was racially taunted.

Michel Platini

But he warned any player who otherwise left the field in protest over abuse from the stands would be yellow carded. Piara Powar, the executive director of Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE), said: "There is no question we are worried about this tournament more than any other. I think Platini understands what is going on. There is actually a process in place where we have 31 independent international monitors."