Thursday 4 April 2019 21:04, UK
Chris Powell believes it is time for football's authorities to take a more hard-line stance on racism, after recent incidents involving the England national team and Juventus striker Moise Kean.
Several English players, including Raheem Sterling, Danny Rose and Callum Hudson-Odoi, were the subject of racist abuse during their recent win in Montenegro, while similar incidents occurred to Kean as Juventus played at Cagliari in Serie A on Tuesday night.
Powell, the former England international, believes far more needs to be done.
"For one it's totally unacceptable in 2019," Powell told EFL Matters on Thursday. "We have seen it with England and now with the Juventus player and enough is enough for me.
"UEFA, FIFA and the FA, it's about time and now we have to take a stance. It's too easy to pay lip service to it all, because we could be in the same position this time next year, and we shouldn't be."
Powell is also a former manager of Charlton, Huddersfield and Southend, and he also believes that the time may have arrived for managers to take their players off the pitch if it happens again. He also believes there needs to be more action taken against clubs than fines.
"I wouldn't like to do it, but I can understand if it happens and if the manager and the team feels it is the right thing to do then I'm all for it," he said. "But it's a big call because you're sometimes talking about one idiot, or a lot more than one other times.
"You don't want someone to spoil the game completely for their team if he or she is meant to be a fan, but I'm all for making a stance if that's the message that has to be done.
"Forget fines, it is about points, closing stadiums and hurting teams, because then and only then can they get their house in order."
