'Invisible banana skins are thrown at Black people every day' – John Barnes on battle against racism

John Barnes believes that «football can start the conversation» in the battle against racism, but believes we all need to take a step backwards to fully understand the issue first. The Liverpool and England legend claims that while actions such as taking the knee are good, it is important to understand why we discriminate against others in the first instance. Ad “Football can start the conversation.

It can highlight the issue, but it cannot change the issue,” he said on Eurosport’s Power of Sport. Football‘Football is sick’ – Perez reignites call for the European Super League4 HOURS AGO “The conversation has to move on. The tangible difference being made by this act should really then move on from, yes, we're taking the knee — but why are we taking the knee? “It's about Black lives mattering, end of story.

And if you believe that black lives matter as much as any other life, we should get behind it. ‘Football is sick’ – Perez reignites call for the European Super League Real lead race for Liverpool target Bellingham — Paper Round The master and his apprentice are bossing the Premier League — The Warm-Up “The journey of a thousand steps starts with the first step. We’re not taking the first step, we’re trying to start with the second, and the first step is to own it within ourselves and say we discriminate, we all do, and until we do that, we will never get anywhere.” Barnes was the victim of some abhorrent racist behaviour from the terraces during the 1980s and referenced a famous picture which depicts him back-heeling a banana thrown onto the pitch.

He stressed that while racism was more overt in those days, it is still very much alive in the present day. “It's a great picture and a very iconic picture. This is 1987 or