UEFA President Michel Platini has warned players they would be booked if they walked off the pitch for being racially abused at Euro 2012 and they should instead talk to the referee who can decide whether to stop the game. Platini, in his opening news conference two days before the start of the tournament Friday, said referees were fully empowered to halt matches temporarily, or abandon them totally, if racist abuse was directed at players from the crowd. Italy forward Mario Balotelli said last week that he would walk off the field if he was targeted, but Platini warned him, and every other player, not to do anything rash. “We will certainly support the referee if he decided to stop the game. But it's not a player, Mr Balotelli, who's in charge of refereeing. It's the referee who takes these decisions. “So, the referee has been given advice and he can stop the game if there are problems. “But it's not me, not the UEFA president, who is in charge of the game for 90 minutes. It's the referee. We will support the referee, of course - always.” Pierluigi Collina, the former World Cup final referee who is now UEFA's chief refereeing officer, told reporters at the briefing that UEFA officials had visited all 16 teams and explained the procedure to stop the game. He said that if a player complained to the referee about racism, the referee would take the necessary action. “The referees have a protocol so they know what they have to do. The match director knows what has to be done. The players know the protocol. “We have visited all the camps before the start of the competition, so everything is clear and everyone is ready.” Piara Power, executive director of Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE), who was also at the briefing, told reporters afterwards: “There is no question we are more worried about racism at this tournament than at any other and it is good to know that Mr Platini understands what is going on. “We are expecting that UEFA's disciplinary commission will sanction any fans displaying far-right banners as there have been at past Euros. The UEFA system is three strikes and you are out. “A fine, then another fine, then forcing teams to play behind closed doors. If the system is in full effect we could have a team kicked out of the competition for far right banners.” Spain, meanwhile, Wednesday began fine-tuning its bid to retain the European title it won four years ago, as the last teams for Euro 2012 were expected to arrive in Poland and Ukraine. Vicente del Bosque's side was put through its paces at its secluded training camp in Gniewino, near the Baltic port city of Gdansk in northern Poland, cheered on by some 300 Polish fans and about 40 traveling Spanish supporters. The outfield players — who included their two minor injury worries Alvaro Arbeloa and Jesus Navas — trained to a rousing chorus of “Guantanamera” from the stands. Co-host Ukraine was hit by a bout of food poisoning but given an incentive to recover with the prospective of healthy bonuses for tournament wins. Ukrainian football chief Grigory Surkis said the squad would get a 500,000-euro ($624,000, 405,000-pound) bonus for every group stage win and 250,000 euros for a draw.
