All captains of teams in Champions League and Europa League action this week will don a ‘Unite Against Racism’ armband as part of an initiative by UEFA and European anti-discrimination body FARE.

Last week, Chelsea skipper Terry accepted a four-game suspension and £220,000 fine from the Football Association over his clash with Queens Park Rangers defender Ferdinand.

Although Terry was also fined by Chelsea he has kept the captaincy which means he will wear the armband in  tomorrow’s Champions League clash in Ukraine as he did during a similar UEFA initiative in 2009 (above).

UEFA said in a statement: “Every team will be accompanied onto the pitch by children wearing ‘Unite Against Racism’ T-shirts and the captains will be asked to wear a ‘Unite Against Racism’ branded armband.” A week of anti-racism initiatives in Britain got off to a controversial start at the weekend when several players refused to wear Kick It Out T-shirts during their pre-match warm-ups.

Ferdinand and his brother Rio, the Manchester United defender, were among the players who delivered a snub because they are unhappy with what they consider a lack of progress on anti-racism.

Rio Ferdinand’s decision brought strong criticism from his manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who promised the player would be “dealt with” and who had previously criticised Reading’s Jason Roberts’s stated intention not to wear a Kick It Out shirt.

The chairman of Kick It Out, Lord Ouseley, fears the theme of the week has been overshadowed by the row.

“The issue of the T-shirt has become the story,” he told BBC 5live. “We need to be talking about what are their legitimate grievances. You have to move forward in a way to bring closure to the nastiness that is around. The players that have grievances need to bring those to the table.”

Former England striker John Barnes agreed and told talkSPORT: “I understand that they are not happy with the way things are but they really have to target the source of their discontentment. I’m sure Kick It Out is not the source of their discontentment. There is nothing Kick It Out can do to implement strategy, fines or legislation.”

Meanwhile, Chelsea will not sell Terry despite the furore he has caused.

Coach Roberto di Matteo and the board have supported Terry throughout the past 12 months since the incident at Loftus Road but have gone on record to say he has let the club down and damaged their image.

Clubs abroad, including Paris St-Germain where former Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti is the manager, are monitoring the situation and considering making a bid.

But Chelsea still regard Terry as a valuable asset and despite warning him over his future conduct they will not listen to any offers while he is under contract.

The 31-year-old’s deal runs out in the summer of 2014 and, beyond that, the situation is unclear as there is already speculation that Chelsea will not offer him an extension. The club are thinking whether the time is right to allow more of the old guard to leave and cut the wage bill.

Ashley Cole, 31, and 34-year-old Frank Lampard’s deals both expire next summer and while talks with the pair are not over and they could still be offered 12-month contracts, letting the duo depart will save the club around £280,000-a-week in wages.

The club have to take UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules into account, which is why they may be willing to also let Terry’s £170,000‑a‑week deal expire, even though he has always maintained that he would like to see out his career at Stamford Bridge.

Kyle Moore | Elite.