Raheem Sterling is taking a stand against racism in football we should get behind him, says Darren Lewis on talkSPORT

Raheem Sterling is taking a stand against racism in football we should get behind him, says Darren Lewis on talkSPORT
England star Raheem Sterling has said enough is enough and is taking a stand against racism in football after he suffered racial abused from a Chelsea fan on Saturday.Daily Mirror football writer Darren Lewis has compared the Manchester City forward to US athletes like Colin Kaepernick, saying he has become a role model for other black footballers after publicly speaking out against prejudice in the English game.5

Manchester City and England star Raheem Sterling

Television cameras showed a group of Chelsea supporters hurling abuse at Sterling during Manchester Citys 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge.Fans were screaming at the 24-year-old as he collected the ball from the touchline for a corner, and the Metropolitan Police later confirmed they were investigating allegations that one of the supporters racially abused him.Sterling later responded to the incident on social media, saying he expected no better at Stamford Bridge.5

Raheem Sterling was reportedly subjected to racist abuse in the first half at Stamford Bridge

The Three Lions ace also criticised the media for their treatment of young black players in comparison to their white compatriots, saying newspapers help fuel racism.And Lewis has hailed Sterling for speaking publicly about the fight against racism, and had urged the public to get behind the campaign to stamp it out of English football.What Raheem is trying to do now is say, enough is enough.Sometimes we frame these whole debates about is he right or is he wrong, but there shouldnt be any debate about somebody not wanting to be abused based on the colour of their skin.5

Raheem Sterling was reportedly subjected to racist abuse by the man on the far right

The important thing about what Sterling had done is that in the past black footballers have not felt brave enough to come out and say something about the way they have been treated.Why? Because they get marginalised, pushed out of the game, blackballed. So they keep quiet, they dont say anything, they dont want their card marked.But this is changing the game because Sterling is coming out just like the black athletes in the United States and saying, we are not having this anymore.What Sterling is doing is saying, Im not prepared to put up with this any more.Kaepernick is still without a team in American Football after ending his contract with the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, following the taking a knee controversy that swept the United States and was publicly slammed by president Donald Trump.5

Colin Kaepernick (number seven) and 49ers team-mates take a knee during the US national anthem in 2016

The quarterback felt he was blackballed by the NFL over his actions and accused the organisations owners of colluding to ensure he was not signed by another team. He filed for a lawsuit against the NFL, which is set to go to a trial.Kaepernick was the first major player to first sit and then kneel during the US national anthem in 2016, sparking a major protest against racial injustice which swept across the nation. He is now one of the USAs leading anti-racism activists.And Lewis believes Sterling can become a similar inspiration to black footballers in England who are currently afraid of speaking out against the abuse they suffer.5

Sterling in action during the World Cup for England

He added: Other players will now hopefully follow suit and realise they can have a voice and we will get behind them.I dont think there is a debate around racism when Sterling and other black players come out and talk about not wanting to be judged on the colour of their skin, we have to listen to what theyre saying and we have to get behind them.Listen to more of Darren Lewis on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast below

We hear that Pogba is lazy and Lukaku is lazy We have to think about the language were usingSometimes we dont use the term black but we use negative terms that feed into a narrativeListen as @MirrorDarren discusses racism in football pic.twitter.com/QRW9n4VyFV— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) December 10, 2018

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