Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling believes teams should be deducted nine points if their fans are found guilty of racist chanting.
Sterling has been the victim of a number of racist incidents for club and country this season, with the 24-year-old speaking out multiple times regarding football's racism problem.
Speaking to The Times, Sterling stated his belief that nothing will change if the punishments are lenient as they currently are, saying the issue makes him 'very angry' and 'disappointed.'
"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. 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."
Sterling was allegedly racially abused during Manchester City's 2-0 defeat at Chelsea in December, as well as being part of the England side that suffered chants of a similar nature during their win at Montenegro in March.
Best way to silence the haters (and yeah I mean racists) #2019 #getsomeeducation pic.twitter.com/ohhkOJtdey
— Raheem Sterling (@sterling7) March 25, 2019
Gareth Southgate joined Sterling in calling on UEFA to step up their punishments for Montenegro, while also backing Juventus forward Moise Kean following the racially aggravated chanting he suffered in a Serie A match against Cagliari.
"That is sadly the tip of the iceberg," said Sterling, who added: "
— Raheem Sterling (@sterling7) April 3, 2019
Source : 90min