Ex-NUFC striker calls on England fans not to 'scapegoat' any players due to skin colour
South Shields born Richard Offiong is a campaign co-ordinator for Show Racism the Red Card
With Euro 2024 just around the corner - there's a call for people across the North East not to 'scapegoat' any individual England player - because of their skin colour.
Previously, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, & Bukayo Saka all received racist abuse online - after England lost in the final of Euro 2020 on penalties to Italy.
North East born Richard Offiong - who has played for clubs across the North East including Newcastle United, Durham, Gateshead and Blyth Spartans is working with South Tyneside charity Show Racism the Red Card.
He has this message for fans of the Three Lions ahead of the tournament:
"If you want to criticise somebody, criticise their performance - not the player in a personal way.
"If you're criticising somebody based on their skin colour, it's got nothing to do with their performance.
"If England end up falling short, still support them, because they're not going out intentionally to play badly.
"Regardless of skin colour, targeted abuse based on somebody's background and who they are is unacceptable.
"What we wants is for people to be judged on their performance, not something that they've got no control over."
You can read more from Show Racism the Red Card below: