Sterling calls for nine-point racism penalty

Raheem Sterling has called for clubs whose fans racially abuse players to be hit with a nine-point penalty, saying current punishments meant the issue was "nowhere near being sorted" by football authorities.

The Manchester City forward has become increasingly outspoken on racism in football, having received abuse on the pitch while playing for both his club and on England duty.

Recently, he cupped his hands to his ears in response to derogatory chants from Montenegro fans while playing for England last month.

Now Sterling has become one of the signatories to a manifesto published in Tuesday's edition of Britain's The Times newspaper calling for more black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people in positions of power within football, more severe punishments for racist abuse and greater action by social media organisations, sponsors and traditional media.

"When I was a boy growing up in London, going to school and playing football, I didn't know what racist abuse was because I never suffered any," Sterling wrote in The Times.

"So it seems crazy that, in 2019, I feel the need to write a piece in a newspaper calling for radical changes to the game that I love.

"But I do because the racism problem in football is so bad, runs so deep and is nowhere near being sorted."
"In my opinion, the people who run the game are doing nowhere near enough to solve the problem. And that's not good enough."
- 'Fines do no damage' -
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"It sounds harsh, but which fan will risk racist behaviour if it might relegate their team or ruin their title bid?