By Aston
November 18 2004

Ipswich Town and England under 21 striker Darren Bent is shocked by the racist abuse that England’s black players got in Spain.

Bent Shocked By Racism In Spain.

Ipswich Town and England under 21 striker Darren Bent is shocked by the racist abuse that England’s black players got in Spain.

The under 21 international was playing in Spain on Tuesday night for Peter Taylor’s under 21 side and although he did not hear the abuse he is shocked that there was any and he believes something needs to be done.

Bent: “Something needs to be done by FIFA and UEFA before too long because it's going to get out of hand.

“Abuse is bad enough at any time but racial abuse is awful and I don't know how the players got through the game in the senior match.

“It must have been so tough for them to try and focus on the football when they were getting that amount of stick.

“In the U21s' match, I didn't really hear anything when I was playing. I just got on with the game. I don't listen to the crowd anyway but Glen Johnson and Carlton Cole told me that things were said when they were running towards the goal or going for a throw in which is obviously very disappointing.

“It was a shock because there are a lot of black players in Spain and it's not a country that I would have associated with racist comments.

“I've been to Spain before and never heard anything like the abuse that went on out there this week.

“Italy have had some trouble for ages but not Spain, it just goes to show that the problem is still there.

“I've been to other countries, like Lithuania and Ukraine and places like that and there aren't many black people out there and you get racial abuse but a big country like Spain with a big football reputation, you just don't expect it.”

Bent also believes that more countries should follow England’s lead and have a campaign to the “kick racism out of football” one, adding: “We have had the 'kick racism out of football' campaign in this country for years and it seems to be working.

“We don't really have a racial problem in the game in this country now. You get one or two incidents obviously but generally we have moved forward a long way from the bad days.

“Other countries now need to run similar campaigns and hopefully they will move forward as well.”

Source: Ipswich Town - the official website.

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