Tackling Racist Abuse: Jude Bellingham issues warning to football authorities

Real Madrid midfielder, Jude Bellingham has shared his thoughts on racism in the world of football and what authorities should do.

Racism has become a constant issue in the Spanish La Liga this season with Brazil winger Vinicius being the recipient of 10 instances of racist abuse.

On Saturday, a Real Mallorca fan was seen making monkey gestures at Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni after he scored.

Bellingham has now shared his thoughts on racism at Spanish grounds as he detailed the extent of the problem.

He said: “I didn’t even know. I think in the games where we go away, in LaLiga especially, you almost get so used to it that, like I said, I wasn’t even aware of the incident. I think that’s a massive problem in itself.

“More has got to be done, whether it’s the punishment and how you react to it or how you move proactively to this kind of thing. I think it’s a horrible way for a player to prepare for a game knowing that they’re probably going to get racially abused. It’s disgusting. It shouldn’t happen.”

The England international added that authorities need to do more as players must be protected from racist fans.

He added: “The people in power need to do more, especially with Vini in the recent weeks – well, years actually. I think the blame gets shifted more onto him because of maybe his playing style and the way he likes to express himself and I don’t think that’s fair.

“The game would miss players like Vini if he decided to take a break because of this thing. More needs to be done to support these players.

Jude Bellingham will be hoping his Real Madrid teammates will turn up when they face Real Madrid in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final clash.