Britain’s most senior black policeman says football clubs failing to protect players from racism

Premier League football clubs are failing in their duty as employers by allowing players to be racially abused, Britain’s first black chief constable has said.

Michael Fuller said no other sport would tolerate openly racist behaviour from fans, yet it continues to flourish in football grounds.

The situation has not moved far from the 1970s and 1980s when he would police Chelsea matches, Fuller said.

Speaking at the Hay Festival to launch his memoir, Kill The Black One First, Fuller said: “As a young cop I was on duty at Stamford Bridge every Saturday. Black players at the time would have racist abuse and banana skins thrown at them.

“What I’m surprised about is that’s still going on today and the clubs still haven’t got to grips with this. CCTV is far better, you can identify who is causing problems, yet you’ve still got people shouting racist abuse.

“I’ve been to the football with my son and I’ve been ashamed this is still happening. Yes, footballers are paid a lot of money but they shouldn’t have to put up with that.

“I’m just amazed - any other employer would be in big trouble if they had allowed that to continue and their own staff were victims of racist abuse.

“I can’t believe that’s still a problem. People openly abusing black players in the 21st century - that just shouldn’t happen. Can you imagine people racially abusing Venus and Serena Williams and them putting up with it?”

Manchester City player Raheem Sterling has spoken out about racism in the Premier League this season, saying English football needs to get its house in order along with other European countries if the scourge of racism is to be driven out of the game.

Sterling faced alleged racist abuse at Stamford Bridge in December, the week after a Tottenham fan threw a banana skin at Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

In his autobiography, Fuller has detailed the racist abuse he faced at work after joining the Metropolitan Police Force in 1975. Colleagues would put up National Front posters in the canteen, and at a police social event he was called a “spearchucker” by a comedian on stage.

“I was the first black chief constable. I assumed that, as with women, more would follow and it hasn’t happened. There is still no other black chief constable appointed. I’m not responsible for appointments, those who are should have to answer that because I’ve seen lots of very talented people.”

Fuller was appointed Chief Constable of Kent Police in 2004 and retired in 2015. He said: “I was the first black chief constable. I assumed that, as with women, more would follow and it hasn’t happened. There is still no other black chief constable. I’m not responsible for appointments, those who are should have to answer that because I’ve seen lots of very talented people.”

He grew up in a children’s home and his book is dedicated to Margaret Hurst, the ‘house mother’ who looked after him there from the age of 18 months until he turned 16.