Some will never change... but we must never give up fight to drive these people out

Steve Bates

AS a black player at Chelsea in the late 1980s Ken Monkou experienced plenty of racism.

Back then Chelsea, like a fair few clubs, had a racist element that clearly still exists as the moronic minority drag the club back into the dark ages.

But Monkou isn’t blaming the power- brokers at Stamford Bridge. Far from it.

As an ambassador for Show Racism The Red Card and a key member of the PFA’S Equality and Diversity team, Monkou knows Chelsea are fighting hard to drive out the hate-filled idiots besmirching their name.

Sadly, the Raheem Sterling abuse, anti-semitic chanting at Chelsea’s Europa League game against MOL Vidi in Hungary and the Paris tube incident in 2015 shows football’s war on racism isn’t close to being won.

And Monkou believes for all their hard, well- intentioned efforts Chelsea and other clubs will never fully stamp out a cancer that’s deep-rooted in society, not just football.

“Unfortunately, no matter what steps are taken some people will never change,” said Monkou, who played 119 times for Chelsea between 1989 and 1992 after signing from Feyenoord.

“Chelsea have done some unbelievably good work to eradicate the type of behaviour we have seen recently. They have good people investing a lot of time and effort into trying to re- educate fans who go to Stamford Bridge, but I fear it will never be truly stamped out.

“It’s shocking to see and hear but we won’t give up the fight to drive these people out of football.”

Impact

In his playing days in England, Holland and Germany, tough defender Monkou has had bananas thrown at him, been spat on and called every vile racist name imaginable. Now, through his work in schools and clubs up and down the country, Monkou is a tireless campaigner.

He said: “I go into schools and we teach children to re-educate their parents because for young people that’s where it’s likely to come from.

“They hear language about colour or religion that they think is just banter so we try to explain the words and the impact they have on people.

“I’m impassioned when I see the young kids. They are so aware of racism and want no part of it.

“Sadly there are some people who will always have a view of how they see the world, so you won’t ever totally end racism.”