England players
RACISM CRISIS Kevin calls for tougher penalties in football
BY DARREN JOHNSTONE ALBION ROVERS boss Kevin Harper has urged Scottish football to impose tougher penalties over racist abuse after insisting it’s “creeping back in”.
His views come as figures from campaign group Show Racism the Red Card revealed over a third of young people have witnessed or experienced racism playing football in the past academic year.
The subject reared its ugly head again this week after England players were targeted in Bulgaria.
Lazio have also been ordered to close part of their stadium for the visit of Celtic after fans were deemed guilty of racist chanting.
Closer to home, Hearts issued indefinite bans to two fans for “racist and sectarian language” during August’s draw with Hamilton.
Former Hibs and Derby playmaker Harper, who became Scotland’s first black manager in 15 years when he was appointed at Rovers last November, says the authorities must crack down on such behaviour.
He said: “I’d say it’s more prevalent now than it was five years ago. I look back on my career. There was racism when I started, there was racism in the middle and there was racism when I stopped playing.
“It was a little bit different then. There wasn’t as many black or ethnic players involved. The authorities didn’t really know how to deal with it and tried to sweep it under the carpet.
“I’ve not had it in the dugout but, if I get to the very top then unfortunately, I have no doubt I will get it.
“We see it creeping back in. The powers at be across football have to put in place stricter sanctions.
“We can’t keep giving people a slap on the wrist, saying that’s okay we’ve banned them for life.
“For me that’s just box ticking. How do you prove a person you’ve banned for life isn’t in your stadium?”