SUNDERLAND chairman Niall Quinn and South Shields MP David Miliband will team up to launch an anti-racism campaign across Sunderland next week.

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs will speak at the event, organised by Sunderland's official charity, the SAFC Foundation, alongside Mr Quinn at the Stadium of Light.

They hope to raise awareness and promote anti-racism by encouraging agencies to sign up to the "Relegating Racism Together" campaign.

Mr Quinn said: "Football is a great leveller. Sport and football in particular is a universal language that unites people from different cultures and nations with a common interest.

"At Sunderland, we have players from a whole host of countries who work together as a team.

"Their ethnic origin and cultural background is irrelevant. They share a great team spirit, work hard for one another and are supported by fans from around the world.

"There is no room for racism of any kind within the game and our community."

In recent years, diversity in Sunderland has changed dramatically, largely due to inward migration from overseas, with more and more economic migrants and international students being attracted to work and study in the city.

The issue is close to Mr Miliband's heart, who has been the South Shields MP since 2001.

With so many changes happening in a relatively short space of time, Mr Miliband is keen to point out that Sunderland has a strong commitment to encouraging social inclusion throughout the area and promoting good relations between different communities.