Harry Kane should lead the England team off if another player faces racist abuse – whatever the consequences

We still talk about the heroes of ’66 in glowing terms and I’d be proud to one day tell my grandkids about the brave England team that took a stand against racism

Morning broke today with yet more upsetting headlines about racism in football. England star Danny Rose admitting that he “can’t wait to see the back of football” because of his experiences, most recently in Montenegro whilst on international duty.

Only early this week Juventus teenager Moise Kean and teammate Blaise Matuidi were targeted with monkey chants by Cagliari fans. However the majority of post-match discussion has focused on Leonardo Bonucci’s ill-informed statement that Kean should take “50-50 of the blame”.

When Kean delicately touched in the second goal of the game, he stood, arms outstretched, in front of those who had abused him. He was brave and defiant in letting them know that he wouldn’t be moved.

It’s easy to feel inspired by Kean’s strength. What better way to react to racism than by standing tall and sticking up two metaphorical fingers at those who abused you? It’s karma in action and feeds into our human desire to deliver retribution.

The truth, no matter how startlingly obvious, is that the players shouldn’t need to be strong in the face of abuse. They shouldn’t face it to start with.

It’s been clear that the authorities aren’t clamping down hard enough on it, as Rose alludes to when saying that “countries only get fined what I’d probably spend on a night out in London”. If FIFA and UEFA aren’t taking action then the players must take it into their own hands.

The idea of players walking from the pitch is something that’s been discussed regularly in broadsheets and on phone-in radio, but it’s clearly the only option left if we want to rid this cancer from the game.

Football’s authorities are happy with a few anti-racism adverts before Champions League games and cheap slogans, big visible signs that they can point to, and claim that they’re trying to fight the problem. Actions speak louder than words, no matter how big the billboard or how many viewers. When FIFA disbanded their anti-racism taskforce in 2016 it showed that they didn’t care, that they have no interest in either education or strict punishments.

Football’s authorities, like most big companies, won’t be pushed into action until their product is damaged and the advertisers begin to ask serious questions. The only way for that to happen is to walk from the field of play.

So far the national team have been exemplary. Gareth Southgate has spoken eloquently on the issues that have faced his players and it’s very clear that the culture around the team is one of support.

Seeing Callum Hudson-Odoi having to discuss monkey noises, on the night of his first international start, was sobering. Likewise Rose’s revelations, show the way that racism has ground him down throughout the years. He’s grown up and been able to make a career of his passion, the sport he loves, and is counting down the days until he can leave it, because of the vitriol he’s received. Then there’s Raheem Sterling, who has been the victim of both overt and subtle racism from both fans and some elements of the media.

Sterling has recently become a figurehead for this modern fight against racism within football. Since the incident against Chelsea, he has been pushed further into the limelight, and has spoken brilliantly on the subject. This isn’t about Raheem though, it’s not his issue to fight alone.

The dialogue around leaving the field of play is always centred around the victim going off – but going forward the national side should now seriously consider exiting the pitch, en masse, and led from the top. Any decision to go, potentially forfeiting the game, shouldn’t be the burden of Rose, Sterling, or any other player who is subjected to abuse, it should be shared across the entire playing and coaching staff.

When this happens again, and the sad fact is, that it will, Harry Kane, in his role as captain, should lead the rest of the team off, and to hell with the consequences.

Ever since I was a child, I, like many others, have wanted to see England win a major honour. Every agonising moment, from watching TV as Gazza slid and nearly connected with a Shearer cross against Germany at Euro ’96, to being stood in the Luzhniki Stadium watching Mario Mandžukić score an extra-time winner for Croatia in last year’s World Cup semi-final, has been leading to the chance to see England win something. We’re now within touching distance, with a young, exciting and cosmopolitan squad. But none of that matters.

England lifting the World Cup trophy would be the culmination of every player and fans dreams, but there is a more important battle at stake. If direct action forced England to forfeit games, it would almost certainly impact their ability to make Euro 2020, but it would be a major step in ending discrimination from the terraces.

For the first time in recent memory the nation has a team and a manager in which we can really be proud. Over the last 24 months, the country has rediscovered their love for the team, and if they were to make a stand, no matter the punishment, then the public would support them.

We still talk about those heroes from ’66 in glowing terms and I’d be proud to one day tell my grandkids about the brave England team that took a stand against racism.