The Foreign Secretary teamed up with Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn to speak at the Stadium of Light to encourage agencies to sign up to the "Relegating Racism Together" campaign.

SAFC Foundation has developed the campaign, with help from other agencies, as part of its Football First project, to challenge anti-social and racist behaviour in Sunderland.

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."

Mr Miliband added: "The SAFC Foundation undertakes an incredible amount of fantastic work to show how football can bring communities and people together.

"There is no place in football or beyond for racism, and the foundation are leading the way by providing positive activities involving teamwork and looking at differences and diversity within cultures."