Racist abuse against Raheem Sterling 'not acceptable', says PFA

Alleged racist abuse directed at Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling on Saturday was "not acceptable", the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) has said.

The England star appeared to be verbally abused as he played for the Premier League champions at Chelsea.

Writing about the incident on Sunday, he said such behaviour was being fuelled by unfair coverage of young black players in newspapers, citing the different way in which two of his Manchester colleagues, one black, one white, had been treated by the press.

The PFA said it stood with Sterling in "calling for the press to consider the coverage of all footballers carefully, and to end their imbalanced coverage aimed at young, black players".

It added that while "no racial slurs" had been made against Sterling in the press, it was in no doubt that a "negative narrative influences public opinion and emboldens racist rhetoric".

Sterling wrote that the way in which footballers' lives are covered in the media "helps fuel racism".

The 24-year-old former Liverpool player highlighted two different treatments when players bought a property.

When Tosin Adarabioyo, who is black, purchased a house in January it was described as a "mansion", with the Daily Mail adding that he had "never started a Premier League match".

But there was more positive coverage when Phil Foden, who is white, bought a house for his mother, also for around £2m.

Sterling said that both Manchester City footballers had "done the right thing", which was to "buy a new house for their mothers who have put a lot of time and love into helping them get where they are".

He added: "But look how the newspapers get their message across for the young black player and then for the young white player."

Because of the "way it has been worded", he wrote, "this young black kid is looked at in a bad light, which helps fuel racism and aggressive behaviour".

He finished: "Have a second thought about fair publicity and give all players an equal chance."

The PFA said it encouraged "all clubs to take the strongest possible action for fans found guilty of racially abusing players".

It added: "It is not acceptable for our members to find themselves subject to racist abuse, simply for showing up to work and performing for their team."

Last month, anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out released figures that showed reports of discriminatory abuse within football rose by 11% last season - the sixth successive annual rise.

Of the 520 reported incidents, 53% were racism related - a 22% increase from the previous season.