Raheem Sterling has joined the backlash to the ‘White Lives Matter’ banner than was flown over the Etihad Stadium during Manchester City’s Premier League match against Burnley.
The banner, which was associated with a small minority of Burnley supporters, was condemned by the club, with Burnley player Ben Mee saying he was ‘ashamed and embarrassed’ by the statement.
Sterling, who played in the match, tweeted a picture of the image with the hashtag #TimeForChange.
Fare, which works with both Uefa and Fifa on inclusion and equality issues, offered a stark assessment, placing it as the latest in a series of distasteful acts across the continent.
"The racist backlash against the Black Lives Matter movement across Europe is a trend we have seen and documented," Fare's executive director Piara Powar told the Press Association.
"Set against the BLM message of equal rights, 'White Lives Matter' can only be motivated by racism and a denial of equal rights. It shows exactly why the fight for equality is so important and why the majority of people have supported it.
"The movement, the issues that are being discussed and the change that will arise is unstoppable. History will judge that this was a moment that led to change."
Kick It Out, English football's anti-racism charity, told PA the sentiments of the banner represented a grave misunderstanding of the BLM initiative.
"The point of Black Lives Matter is not to diminish the importance of other people's lives," said the organisation's chair Sanjay Bhandari.
"It is to highlight that black people are being denied certain human rights simply by virtue of the colour of their skin. It is about equality. We shall continue to support the Black Lives Matter movement and the fight for greater equality for all in football."
Lancashire Constabulary's East Division Football Unit, responsible for policing Burnley games, tweeted that they were "aware of the incident" and "will be fully investigating."
Burnley never got going after the plane flypast incident. The visitors, already weakened by injuries and contractual issues, were outplayed by a far superior City side.
The outstanding Phil Foden opened the scoring with a superb low strike on 22 minutes and later completed the rout. Riyad Mahrez also struck twice, including a penalty, while David Silva netted the other.
The major downside for City was the loss of record goalscorer Sergio Aguero just before the interval with a knee injury. City now fear he could miss the remainder of the campaign.
Manager Pep Guardiola said: "It doesn't look good unfortunately. He was struggling for the last month with a problem in the knee.
"We will see tomorrow exactly what he has but it doesn't look good for the season."
The champions' victory meant Liverpool will have to wait a little bit longer to relieve them of their crown. The Reds, who need five more points, now cannot clinch the title when they face Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
"We played really well - a solid performance, especially in the beginning," said Guardiola.
Additional reporting by the Press Association
