CAST your minds back several decades and English football was riddled with racism.
The far-right National Front routinely picketed stadiums and bananas were frequently thrown at the small minority of trailblazing black players, who suffered racist chanting and prejudice from within their own clubs.
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Now, Premier League dressing rooms are among the most multicultural workplaces on Earth.
More than a third of players are of black and minority ethnic heritage.
Almost two-thirds of those in starting line-ups are from overseas, while players of different religions operate side by side with rarely a mention of their faiths.
And racism on the terraces, while still a sickening evil, is far less widespread.
Yet while football has moved forwards, our politics has travelled dangerously in the opposite direction.
And so the national game should take no lectures on enlightenment from the country’s politicians.
As Gary Neville rightly stated during Sky’s coverage of Tottenham’s clash with Chelsea, we have just been through a General Election in which the leaders of the two main parties stood accused of fostering racism.
Against such a backdrop, is there any wonder then that, in a crowd of 61,104, there was at least one moron who felt emboldened enough to aim vile racist abuse at Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger?
Racism is society’s problem, not football’s. And it is certainly not the problem of this admirable generation of footballers.
We should never under- estimate the severe hurt suffered by Rudiger on Sunday, or by Manchester United’s Fred when he was similarly targeted during the recent derby at the Etihad.
And, of course, football’s clubs and authorities must do far more to eradicate racial abuse once and for all.
Spurs boss Jose Mourinho was correct to tell supporters to root out the racists in their midst.
Yet what sort of racism is tolerable at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?
Spurs themselves could do more by stating in no uncertain terms that their fans’ continuing use of the anti-semitic Y-word is utterly unacceptable. The supporters may argue they are ‘owning’ a term previously aimed at them by rivals because of their club’s strong Jewish connections.
Yet the vast majority of Spurs fans are not Jewish and many Jews find those chants offensive and alienating.
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It is also true that after Rudiger’s racial abuse claims became clear, Mourinho should not have made his sarcastic dig about the Chelsea defender’s supposed play-acting in the incident which saw Son Heung-min sent off.
Yet Spurs players did join their Chelsea counterparts in stridently condemning racism.
And it is to the credit of modern players that they have moved football to the forefront of the fight against a widespread societal menace.
A year ago, Raheem Sterling spoke out boldly about racism — subconscious or otherwise — in the media.
He made many of us think more closely about our language and the presentation of stories.
Danny Rose has also spoken powerfully about the effects of being abused because of his skin colour.
Racism in football grounds appears to be worsening largely because there is an intense desire from players and, increasingly, from those covering the game, to highlight it and stamp it out.
Anti-racism protocols — which saw three announcements over the PA after the abuse of Rudiger — are a step in the right direction.
Even if, as England boss Gareth Southgate has stated, the current three-step Uefa approach is not an ideal long-term solution.
When those messages that ‘racist behaviour among spectators is interfering with the game’ were made on Sunday, they appeared to have a sobering effect.
The protocols include the option of players walking off the pitch if there is continued abuse — and there is an increasing clamour for players to take that nuclear option.
England’s players came close to doing so during October’s Euro qualifier against Bulgaria. Perhaps they should have done.
A team walking off while leading 3-0, as England were when the match in Sofia was twice temporarily halted, would have greater clout than a losing side doing so.
That is not meant to cheapen the issue, it is merely a reflection of the sport’s ultra-professionalism, which can breed cynicism and could lead to protocols being abused.
The FA have spoken out against the racism suffered by England stars at several away matches — and the abuse was obvious and organised in Bulgaria in a way it has rarely been in English grounds for decades.
Yet the FA are often reluctant to intervene over racism at home.
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Closing stands, perhaps grounds, would be a serious deterrent.
What we do not need is to follow the suggestion made by the PFA — that of a Government enquiry into racism in the game.
Because football certainly does not need help from a political class which urgently needs to get its own house in order.
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