Please take not, serious thread.
I am delighted to be here today to lend my personal support to the 'Campaign to help kick racism out of football'.
Sport - and particularly football - is the international language. How many times have people all over the world found themselves in a foreign country forging friendships with strangers over a coffee or a beer as they discuss the latest exploits of the likes of Asprilla and Shearer - when they are fit! That is how it should be. Sport uniting nations and communities - not dividing them.
In the past the cancer of racism has too often scarred our game - the sound of revolting monkey chanting whenever a black player got the ball. Bananas thrown on the pitch. Black players and fans verbally intimidated.
That has now changed for the better and the Campaign is to be applauded for helping to make a difference. The racist's moronic chanting is no longer tolerated on the terraces. The campaign shows what can be achieved when clubs, the football authorities and the fans themselves unite in a common cause.
But we would be wrong to think that racism has totally disappeared from the game. It may be less overt, but it is still there - outside grounds, in the pub or at park level. There is still more work to be done. We can never be complacent. Fascist parties with their vile views still see some football grounds as breeding places for their organisations.
Just about every team in the country has a black player but there are still far too few black and Asian faces in the crowd. We may have done much to eliminate racism on the terraces but we have to ask whether they still do not come to matches because they feel the atmosphere is too intimidating. It is something that needs to be worked on.
That is why today's schools initiative is so important. By educating our youngsters on why people become racist and teaching them how to tackle prejudice we can make them ambassadors of tolerance in the future.
I am proud of the multi cultural society we live in where all have a part to play. I am proud to lead a Government that believes that nobody should be shut out from society's mainstream. A fairer, more tolerant, more inclusive Britain is in the interests of all of us. And there can be no better way to break down barriers than through sport. The project is an important part of this year's European Year against Racism. I look forward to hearing about the winning entries next year.
It is also vital to the success of our World Cup Bid, which the Government is backing wholeheartedly, that we show the world the real face of football in this country - friendly, open, lively, entertaining.
I am pleased that Patrick Vieira is able to join Glenn and me today. He has made a great impression here in England in the last 18 months. Patrick, I know you are fighting your way back from injury but as a Newcastle fan I'd be grateful if you could leave it another week. We don't want you scoring any more goals like the one against Manchester United when Arsenal play at St James's Park this Saturday, especially after last night's defeat at Bolton.
But I thank you for the contribution you have made to British sport and to this campaign. Together, all of us, can make a difference and drive out racism at every level.
