Suarez abusing Evra & Eto'o mocked... Meet 5 worst moments of racism in football

We stand in a globalised era where all nations have opened their doors to each other and are moving towards an integrated society. 

But all of this development seems for nought when one encounters discriminatory incidents that make it clear that people are yet to open their minds when it comes to accepting each other.

Football has a massive and passionate fanbase all over the world. 

Here are five such incidents in the history of football that defy belief:

1. Suarez abusing Evra

In a match between Liverpool and Man United in 2011, Suarez was accused of abusing Evra using racial slurs. 

Suarez had maintained (and still does) that though he had used the word “negro” it held a different meaning in Spanish and was used in that context.

The disciplinary commission found Suarez guilty of using the word seven times and even saying that "he doesn’t talk to blacks".

Liverpool players even protested against the FA by donning t-shirts with Suarez’s face over it. As the case continued, he was proven guilty, fined heavily and was banned from playing eight subsequent matches.

2. Spain and England

During a training session the Spain coach, Luis Aragones, was caught on camera saying the phrase "Show that you're better than that black shit" in Spanish. 

The incident caught on, and there were widespread appeals to get him sacked.

In another instance, when Spain played England in a friendly match, the English players of colour (including Ashley Cole as well as Shaun Wright-Phillips) were faced with a hostile environment.

Every time the ball was passed to them, the crowd would jeer imitating monkey noises and hurling abuses at them. 

The Royal Spanish Football Federation was fined heavily and warned for severe punishments should such cases arise again.

3. Eto'o and fans of Real Zaragoza

In late February 2006, Barca played against Real Zaragoza in a Liga match. 

The events that followed brought shame to the community as Eto'o had to face repeated abuse all through the match.

Every time he touched the ball, he heard a host of monkey noises and was thrown peanuts at. 

Eto'o has been subjected to such displays before, but this time, he was done. 

He decided to leave the field saying “no mas” or no more. 

He had made his point clear, either this behavior had to be stopped, or the match would be abandoned.

An announcement had to be made over the PA system advising the audience to refrain from making discriminatory remarks or actions will be taken against them. 

Eto'o would have walked off, but the players from both the sides, the referee and the coach convinced him otherwise.

4. Protest of Kevin Prince Boateng

In early January of 2013, things became ugly when Milan played a pre-season friendly with a lower league club Pro Patria. 

Milan's player, Boateng had faced open displays of racism before and always ignored it. 

Twenty-five minutes into the match, Boateng couldn’t take the monkey noises and name-calling any longer and snapped.

He took the ball, booted it in the direction of the abusers and stormed off the field. 

The moment became a show of solidarity as all the players walked off the field in support of Boateng. 

He later told the reporters, "I said to myself, in this kind of environment, in this situation, I don't want to play football anymore.”

5. Scotland coach Malky Mackay

Mackay was a common fixture in news headlines when his anti-semitic, fatphobic and sexist sentiments came to light. 

The former premiership manager was under investigation on account of a series of texts between himself and Iain Moody.

He has been known to use phrases such as 'Fat Jew' and 'ch**ks' and in another text with a colleague said. 

"'Go on, fat Phil. Nothing like a Jew that sees money slipping through his fingers.”

The more troubling aspect of the situation, however, is the silence that surrounds it as those in power keep their lips pursed.