The MFL and "NEVER AGAIN" want to use football to help challenge prejudices and stereotypes present in society at large, and hope to stop the ongoing racism found in Russian football.

"We are happy to launch cooperation with the NEVER AGAIN Association and FARE," said Pavel Feldblyum, head of the Inter-ethnic Football League.

"We want our voice against racism and discrimination to be heard loud and clear over the next years"

The announcement comes after news that Zenit St Petersburg fans had controversially burned a Chechen flag in last month's home game against Terek Grozny, the latest episode in a series of racial and homophobic incidents seen by Zenit fans.

Zenit St Petersburgh fans accused of burning a Chechen flag during a home game

"Russia is a large and diverse country and the challenges are big. Just recently the fans of Zenit Sankt Petersburg burnt a Chechen flag during a home game against Terek Grozny, an indication of the widespread problems," said Dr Rafal Pankowski, co-founder of the "NEVER AGAIN" Association and vice-chair of the board of the FARE network.

"We are glad to share our experiences and to see such wide-ranging interest in cooperation on many different levels."

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