Analysis: How racism has become a striking problem for European football

Arsenal's Thierry Henry is latest black star to suffer terrible abuse in a match

When he is going forward, Thierry Henry is among the most feared and revered sights in European football. But as the cigarette lighters, coins, bananas and racial abuse rained down on Arsenal's black French striker in the Champions League game at PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday, it was as if he had gone back in time.

Back to an era which football hoped had gone for good. Back to the days of non-white players being routinely berated from the stands, not to mention by opponents, simply because of the colour of their skin. And back to when the English game – which has welcomed Henry and dozens of other black players from all around the world in recent years – had the worst reputation of all for racism.

If hooliganism was "the English disease'', racism was a particularly virulent strain of the infection. Far-right political parties openly hawked their "literature'' outside clubs such as Leeds United, Millwall, Chelsea and Rangers on match days. The National Front recruited at the turnstiles and printed "alternative'' league tables showing the positions of the clubs after goals by black players had been deleted.

Even after he had scored a virtuoso goal for England in Brazil, the Jamaican-born John Barnes was subjected to "monkey'' grunts and chants of "nigger'' by fans who had travelled to Rio de Janeiro. Playing for Liverpool in the derby at Everton, Barnes was pelted with bananas, a scenario familiar to many black footballers.

Gradually, however, football put its house in order. The sheer volume of black players coming into the game made it harder for those who resented their presence to vent their prejudices. But, more impressively, concerned fans formed pressure groups such as the Football Supporters' Association to provide a lead that the Football Association and the Professional Footballers' Association followed.

Let's Kick Racism Out of Football was founded with the backing of the players' union and the Commission for Racial Equality. Now known as Kick It Out, it laid down a zero-tolerance action plan which many clubs have implemented with surprising rigour.

But just when you thought it was safe to go back on the terraces, the problem resurfaced – though in Europe rather than in Britain. The abuse and missiles directed towards Henry were particularly shocking because the trouble occurred in the Netherlands. This traditionally liberal country has produced black players like Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and Edgar Davids. Gullit played for PSV Eindhoven, as did the great Brazilian striker Ronaldo.

The previous week, Liverpool's England forward Emile Heskey and his new African team-mates, El Hadji Diouf and Salif Diao, were taunted by spectators at Valencia during a Champions League fixture against the Spanish champions.

Forty-eight hours later, when Fulham made their bow in the Uefa Cup away to the Croatian club Hajduk Split, their black players were booed relentlessly by a minority of the 30,000 crowd. Fulham deemed the behaviour serious enough to make a complaint to European football's governing body.

Croatia, like the other republics of the former Yugoslavia, have a negligible number of black players in their domestic league. Lack of acquaintance appears to have bred a distaste, for the vehemence directed against blacks whenever they play in Zagreb or Belgrade is striking.

It does not only come from fans. In 2000, Arsenal's Patrick Vieira, a French international born in Senegal, accused Lazio's Serbian defender Sinisa Mihajlovic of racially abusing him at a match in Rome. "When a fan does it, it's stupid,'' Vieira said. "When a player does it, it's unbelievable.''

Heskey was abused by Yugoslavian supporters while representing England Under-21s in Barcelona. One Yugoslav said afterwards that if Heskey did not like it, "he should take up the piano''. Born in Leicester of West Indian parents, Heskey was also heckled by the crowd while playing for Liverpool against Boavista in Portugal.

"I put it down to ignorant people," he said. "I find it astonishing because some of Boavista's players are black. It takes a very strange mentality to behave like that.''

Mihajlovic, whom Vieira accused of calling him a "black monkey'', was pressured into an apology. Mihajlovic denied racism, though he admitted referring to Heskey's colour.

But racism is once more a live issue in Italian football. Shortly before he became manager of England, Sven Goran Eriksson complained about the "awful racist chants'' by fans of his own club, Lazio, against a black player with Parma.

Racists are not, of course, above selective indignation – abusing opposing black players while lauding their own. The British writer Tim Parks noted the "ambiguous'' racism of Verona's supporters in a book, A Season with Verona, in which he followed the club home and away. Racism in Italy can take the form of hatred between north and south, and Parks cited the Verona fan who shouted at his Bari counterparts: "Albanesi! Kurdi! Scafisti!'' (Scafisti are the men who bring illegal immigrants into Italy). Yet Perugia fans hung a banner proclaiming: "A non-racist town is always in Serie A.''

Neither Spain nor Italy have as many black players as France, where, for all the inner-city problems seized upon by Jean-Marie Le Pen, racism is only a residual problem. Paris St Germain, the club with the worst reputation, still attracts anti-black, anti-Arab, skinhead supporters. But they have launched community-based initiatives to address the problem.

Such measures indicate that the elimination of racial abuse need not be left to chance. The same rationale was behind the Kick It Out campaign in England, although its national co-ordinator, Piara Powar, believes that the FA still tends to drag its feet when confronted by complaints of racism.

Praising Uefa for its decision to investigate events in Valencia and Split, he said: "We are very pleased because clubs and their fans have to know that racist chanting will not go unpunished.'' But he added: "Uefa is much more willing to take action on the basis of evidence from fans and other groups. The FA still usually only takes things seriously if there's a complaint in the referee's report or from one of the players or clubs involved.''

Uefa has also pledged to treat Thierry Henry's claims "very seriously'' and will mount an inquiry. Mike Lee, the Uefa spokesman, said after the game in Eindhoven: "Everyone in football has a responsibility here: the national associations, the clubs, the fans and the police. A combination of education and disciplined reaction is what we need in order to tackle racial abuse. But sadly, it keep arising and it's something that football should be ashamed of.''

Kick it out: hatred from the terraces

Thierry Henry (Arsenal) v PSV Eindhoven, 25 September 2002

Arsenal's Thierry Henry was stunned by the racial vilification from the stands as he prepared to take a corner against PSV Eindhoven in the Philips Stadium on Wednesday. The Frenchman, who scored twice in a 4-0 win, did not shout back, even when the insults were accompanied by missiles. The Champions' League venue director confirmed racism had occurred, while Uefa, the European game's governing body, has promised to investigate.

Barry Hayles (Fulham) v Hajduk Split, 19 September 2002

Fulham were winning their first match in European competition proper, away to Hajduk Split of Croatia. Then came the "monkey'' grunts and booing of the London club's black players, with Barry Hayles a particular target. Hajduk proclaimed their innocence.

Salif Diao (Liverpool) v Valencia, 17 September 2002

Salif Diao was 20 minutes into his European debut for his new club, Liverpool, last week when he made a clumsy challenge on Valencia's midfielder Rufete. Diao, who is Senegalese, was booked but also racially taunted byhome fans. He was substituted at half time.

Emile Heskey (England Under-21) v Yugoslavia, 29 March 2000

Racist supporters seem to single out Emile Heskey for attention. When the crowd chanted "monkey" at Heskey during an England Under-21 match in Barcelona two years ago, the FA made an official complaint. He has since received similar treatment in Portugal and Albania.