29th October 2005

Henry backs UEFA stance

Thierry Henry has praised Uefa for its stand against racism - including measures to close parts of stadiums because of fans' misconduct.

Henry witnessed a very visible example of Uefa's tougher stance when Arsenal visited Sparta Pargue in the Champions League a week ago.

He said: "I was in Prague last week and wondered why the stadium was so empty and then someone explained it was because Sparta fans had been racist the week before against Ajax.

"I thought it was tremendous. That's what you should do. It is sad but sometimes you have to do that.

"Uefa did something great in Prague. That was a great example: the game can still be played even if it is tough on the people who cannot make it to the stadium.

"The game has been played and the points were there and at the end of the day nothing did affect the game. But I'm sure the fans who stayed at home were gutted because they did not see their team play.

"When we players don't behave on the pitch we get a red card. But when other people are misbehaving they are still there. That can be a way forward. Some fans might miss out on the game who are not racist, but that's the way it is. That is one way to go forward."