Players can set rules to halt bigots

I COULDN’T believe what I was watching on Monday night. The behaviour of those hurling abuse at England players was disgusting. With emotions running high, it would have been difficult for the players to think logically and follow the three-step protocol, so you have to applaud the England squad and Gareth Southgate for how they handled it. If it had happened during a Lionesses game, you would hope you could lead by example — but what is the right thing to do? Fining teams and playing games in empty stadiums isn’t working. Expelling nations from major competitions isn’t the answer, either. Players dream their whole life about representing their country, so why should racist individuals take those dreams away from them? Anyone who racially abuses players should be dealt with by the police and given lifetime stadium bans. It’s a crime. It’s important that UEFA and FIFA speak to players and let them write their own protocol. It should be rolled out for everyone — and it shouldn’t stop at football. Racism needs to be kicked out of life, not just football and not just sport.