ENGLAND manager Sven Goran Eriksson is backing a North-East campaign to kick racism out of football.

The Swede recorded a four-minute personal message for a film produced by Tyneside-based organisation, Show Racism the Red Card.

It will form part of an anti-racism educational video that will be distributed to school and youth groups naionwide.

Ged Grebby, project co-ordinator, said: "We were really pleased that he took such an amount of time out for us. The video is a crucial part of our campaign."

Newcastle United star Lomana LuaLua yesterday launched another project for the group that will see 100,000 free posters distributed to school across the region.

They show prominent footballers from Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Sunderland all backing the initiative.

They were unveiled at a conference in Newcastle Civic Centre, in partnership with the Kick it Out campaign and the National Union of Teachers, to mark Football Against Racism in Europe Action Week.

The poster campaign will be backed up by a confidential hotline service which will be launched next month.

The anti-racism posters can be down loaded from the website, www.TheRedCard.org