From a crazy night in Istanbul to a nail-biter at the Millennium stadium it's been an exciting month for fans.

When both Blackburn Rovers and Preston North End made trips to the Millennium stadium this spring a welcome bonus was the number of Asian faces in the crowds.

The big day may not have gone according to plan on the pitch but off the pitch the carnival atmosphere was there for all to see.

Afzal Mahmud of Preston was in Cardiff to support his beloved North End. "It would have been great to win but the atmosphere was magic."

The number of Asian and black fans celebrating Liverpool's Champions League victory prompted football's anti- racism campaign, Kick It Out to hail it a dawn of a new era.

In the seventies and eighties, when Liverpool were last at the top of European football, many black and Asian fans from London, Birmingham and other UK cities, were just cutting their teeth as football fans.

Many of the new black and Asian fans were in their formative years and had fathers and uncles who were from the Caribbean, Africa and Asia, who saw football as a poor substitute for their passion for cricket.

The prevailing worries about crowd violence and racism in the stands meant that many of these black and Asian fans were 'armchair supporters' choosing the most exciting team to cheer on rather than the one closest to their homes. In the seventies and eighties that meant Liverpool.

As football has become a safer place, more black and Asian fans have felt able to attend matches and follow local teams.

Maurice Mcleod, a fervent black Liverpool fan from London, said: "Liverpool were amazing back then and I became hooked. I only really starting going to games as an adult and had to make sure I got out to Istanbul.

Zakir Issap, an Asian fan from Blackburn, told of thousands of Asian fans in Istanbul, "I saw every section of the Asian community represented out there. From guys with long Muslim beards to those whose only religion is football."

Piara Powar, Director of Kick It Out, commented, "This may be a very significant cultural moment. The presence of so many fans in Istanbul from every section of Britain's minority communities, feeling comfortable in a red shirt shows what can be achieved when the circumstances permit.

"Liverpool may not be only the only Premiership club with large numbers of black and Asian fans but the diversity of their fans has