Anton Ferdinand calls for anti-discrimination bans to match gambling penalties

Anton Ferdinand has been the lead voice on Kick It Out in recent years. Credit: PA Wire/Stephen Paston

Anton Ferdinand, a football player who was racistly abused by John Terry, wondered why discrimination bans don't match gambling sanctions.

Former Queens Park defender Rangers also urged the Football Association to take the pressure off players by ordering teams to leave the field when faced with racism.

«Football in general is very good at saying 'All forms of discrimination are at the top of our list to be eradicated' but the actions don't match the words,» said Ferdinand, who was abused in 2011 by the then Chelsea captain «. /p>

Speaking after a Wembley event marking the 30th anniversary of anti-discrimination group Kick It Out, Ferdinand expressed confusion about the sanctions rules.

“How can [discrimination] be at the top of the list?” uprooted, but can you get an 18-month betting ban and a four-match ban for racism or other forms of discrimination?”

England striker Ivan Toni has been among those who have received severe gambling bans, currently serving an eight-month ban from any football activity. Ferdinand also said that the game's management team should encourage players to leave if they are racist, not leave it up to the players themselves.

Tony was banned for eight months for gambling. Photo: PA Wire/Nigel French

Ferdinand said he detailed his concerns to Mark Bullingham, chief executive of the Football Association. “As a player, if someone insults us on a racial basis, we do not leave the field. It is not in our power,” he said. “We are paid by competitors.

The thought process is: «If I leave, they win.» This is what they want. They want me to leave.» I'm not saying that this is right, I'm just saying that we are so arranged as footballers. To remove this, it can't just be the player's decision to walk off the field.

“You can't abuse the scope of an organization, but you can abuse a player. I'm telling you, if I'm in the dressing room here at Wembley and Gareth Southgate says «Who wants to go?» I won't raise my hand because I know what's going to happen.»

Kick It Out published an impact report on its anniversary highlighting both improvements over the past three decades and challenges yet to be addressed.

While 73% of the more than 2,500 football fans surveyed for the report believe that football has become more inclusive, more people remain concerned about the impact of online abuse on inclusion and say more needs to be done to combat discriminatory abuse in stadiums against players and fans.

Kick Executive It Out director Tony Burnett said it's a «comforting lie» when society and football tell themselves it's a meritocracy. Burnett and Kick It Out Chairman Sanjay Bhandari also talked about the importance of making it easier to report discrimination.