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CAFE in Vienna

Feature - 21 January 2010

FARE Conference in Vienna – 12th to 14th December 09

Yes, we admit that the cafes in Vienna and the well known ‘Sacher’ chocolate cake made our trip to the FARE Conference even more appealing and exciting. But that was not the main cause that recently drove us to Vienna.

In fact, it was also in Vienna that 10 years ago FARE was founded to fight racism in football across Europe. So when we received the invite to join the celebrations and represent disabled supporters, we were delighted to accept and take part in a network that has proved to be crucial in promoting equal rights in football.

Equality and improving access for disabled people affects society at many levels, and so CAFE has been formed to improve access for disabled fans, to raise disability awareness through football and to join forces with other partners to tackle this important issue.

FARE is one of the most significant organisations in the battle against discrimination in European and amongst several activities they are well known for organising the Weeks of Action campaign to spread the word within football and more widely. Although racism is still a present issue in many European countries, FARE is enlarging its scope and this year the theme for the conference was homophobia: another taboo that affects equality at many levels in football. Several groups representing the gay community where present, including the EGLSF – European Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation, that has been working closely with FARE to connect with football clubs and fans. 

We participated in the working group called “Ahead of UEFA EURO 2012: Taking the next step in challenging discrimination and the far-right in Eastern Europe football” which is proving to be a positive challenge for the forthcoming Euro 2012. As well as racism, there are also significant challenges in terms of equal access and this workshop was really productive for CAFE to understand better the reality in Poland and Ukraine so that we can build on our existing contacts and foster new initiatives with important stakeholders.

CAFE is also pleased to be part of the interim board that will work towards a more democratic and inclusive FARE which reaches out across the diversity strands. The new FARE federation will be representative of more groups at a European level and will also try to connect with different minorities. We are really excited by this opportunity and we would like to thank FARE for all the efforts put into organising this event and for extending its works in promoting Football Equality for All.

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