Black players face disciplinary action if they leave the pitch over racist abuse during Euro 2012.

Italy striker Mario Balotelli insisted he would walk off if he was the victim of racial taunts at the tournament being held in Poland and Ukraine but Michel Platini, the UEFA president, confirmed such action would result in a yellow card, unless the player was acting as part of a mass walk-off sanctioned by the referee.

Platini was speaking at his pre-tournament press conference, during which he received a series of questions about race issues. Black players have often been targeted across eastern Europe, and particularly in Ukraine.

Troubles ahead? Michel Platini speaks during his Warsaw press conference

Asked whether UEFA would support a player who decided on the course of action described by Balotelli, who visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau museum with his Italy team-mates on Wednesday, Platini replied: ‘No, we’d support a referee who stopped the game, not the player who took this decision.

‘If a player left the field on his own, he would get a yellow card. It’s not Mr Balotelli who’s in charge of refereeing. It’s the referee who makes these decisions.’

Platini’s comments will further fuel the debate around the wisdom of taking the tournament east.

UEFA have been criticised in the past for not taking race issues seriously — with critics pointing to the fact that Manchester City were fined more for arriving a minute late onto the field against Sporting Lisbon, than Porto were for their fans abusing City’s black players Balotelli and Yaya Toure.

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