Man City star Raheem Sterling hits back at media for fuelling racism

Raheem Sterling has accused the media of helping to “fuel racism” as a result of their attitudes to black players.

The England striker posted a forthright message on Instagram yesterday after he allegedly suffered racist abuse at Stamford Bridge during Manchester City’s 2-0 defeat against Chelsea on Saturday.

No laughing matter

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Sterling said he “had to laugh” when he heard the alleged racist remarks during the Premier League game because he has come to expect “no better”.

According to The Times, the player confirmed to police last night that he was “racially abused”. A formal investigation of the incident is now underway.

Former England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, who was at the game as a pundit for BT Sport, tweeted: “Are we going to continue to allow this type of racist behaviour go on??? All for kicking a ball.”

In his message, Sterling addressed the media directly. “All I have to say is have a second thought about fair publicity and give all players an equal chance,” he said, highlighting how City team-mates Tosin Adarabioyo and Phil Foden have recently been betrayed.

Time to protest

Last week a Tottenham fan threw a banana at Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as he celebrated scoring in the north London derby and this latest incident has alarmed Ian Wright.

“The bad old days are back,” warned the former Arsenal star in a tweet. “Chelsea you have been shamed by this disgusting racist fan!”

The Sun reports that Rio Ferdinand has intimated that the time may have come for black Premier League players to stage a protest, similar to the one in the NFL that saw “a number of black players kneel during the national anthem in protest against racism and discrimination”.