h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/5933660

"The Macedonian Football Association urged fans to avoid racist chants when the national team plays England in a European Championship qualifier Wednesday."

So the Macedons have been warned against "racist chanting" tomorrow, and this got me thinking. Where's the line actually drawn?

Ok, we should all agree that the taunting black England players recieved in Spain the other year is racist, and quite rightly so, but another incident springs to mind.

Last time England played Turkey, we were warned for our "racist anti-Turk chanting", which is fair enough, but I only have to think back to about a fortnight ago for other examples of what could be construed as racism which went totally ignored. If England fans professing to "hate" Turks is racist, then why haven't Cardiff (at Elland Road) and Manchester United (at Charlton) fans been warned for singing anti-English songs? Surely a if an offensive chant directed against the Turkish nation is racist, then chants directed against the English nation are also just as racist? Should Cardiff (and indeed Wales who indulged last time we played them, and the Scots who always like a pop) be punished? If they are, should England fans singing "Are you Scotland in disguise" to the Andorrans (clearly demeaning the state of Andorran football ) also be prosecuted?

Where does the line fall? Should chants directed against a nation be treated the same as chants directed against a player's colour, or should they be seen as banter in the same way professing "hatred" of an opposition team in a domestic fixture is?

I'm with the latter, but surely it must be open for debate and a standard line should be taken by the powers that be?