IT was a great decision for Middlesbrough and the North-East. Against all expectations of next month's England international being played behind closed doors at the Riverside, UEFA instead imposed a £68,000 fine on the English Football Association.

We rejoice in Middlesbrough's good fortune that the Euro 2004 qualifier with Slovakia goes ahead as planned. It will be a tremendous sporting and economic fillip for Teesside.

The decision, however, reflects badly on UEFA and football in general.

The racial taunts and intimidation at England's last match at Sunderland's Stadium of Light were shameful.

The scenes that night were every bit as bad as the scenes in Slovakia and Georgia which brought their football associations to a UEFA disciplinary hearing.

The punishment of being ordered to play their next home tie in front of empty stands was regarded as appropriate and just.

In comparison, a paltry fine - a fraction of the income the FA can expect to generate from the Riverside match - appears a remarkably lenient punishment.

It smacks of double standards in European football. It also sends out the signal that racism and loutish behaviour by sections of so-called football fans will be tolerated.

We hope the FA will not view yesterday's decision by UEFA as a reprieve, but as a wake-up call.

The FA is to be commended for its vehement stance on racism. But the incidents on Wearside last month demonstrated the scale of the task it faces in drumming out the thuggish elements from the followers of English football.

Starting with the match at the Riverside, it must establish unequivocally that efforts to stamp out racism and violence will be re-doubled.

We call on the English supporters at the Riverside next month to lead the way by observing the Slovak national anthem with the respect it warrants. The same respect we would expect for our national anthem.

And equally, we call on the supporters to show respect for the opposing team and their supporters.

Let us make Middlesbrough's first England international for 66 years an occasion to remember - for all the right reasons.