UEFA President Michel Platini has confirmed that any player that walks off the pitch during the European Championship will be given a yellow card, regardless of the reason.
The statement was directed particularly towards players who would leave the field if they felt they were victims of racism from fans in Poland and Ukraine, the countries hosting the event. This comes after Mario Balotelli, the Italian and Manchester City striker threatened to walk off if he suffered any racial abuse.
Racism, which has long been prevalent in European soccer, has dominated talk leading up to Euros 2012. But Platini insisted that it is up to the referees to control the game and players should not take things into their own hands.
"We'd certainly support the referee if he decided to stop the game. It's not a player, Mr. Balotelli, who's in charge of refereeing. It's the referee who takes these decisions," Platini said. "So, the referee has been given advice and he can stop the game if there are problems. We will stop the game if there are problems because I think racism is the worst of this."
Some have chosen to keep their loved ones away from any potential danger. The families of two of England's stars, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, will not attend the tournament in fear of their safety.
