Emile Heskey: 'Gone are the times when you just ignore abuse. No. Why should we?'
The former England striker Emile Heskey has spoken out about his experiences of racism in football, saying that no one should "just ignore" abuse anymore. In a recent interview, Heskey shared a harrowing story from his own playing days, where he was chased from Leicester City's old Filbert Street stadium by a man shouting racist abuse when he was just 14 years old.
Heskey's account highlights the reality of racism in football, which remains a pressing issue despite efforts to tackle it. The former striker revealed that he had to leave another stadium with his two sons, who were watching him play, after someone racially abused them. "They would've been kids so I don't think they would've understood what was going on," Heskey said. "We were walking from a stadium and something was said – I won't say what. But you just leave it and move on. They would've been in a stadium watching me play when things were being chanted."
Heskey believes that social media has made abuse worse, making it easier for people to spread hate with little consequence. "If anything, social media has made abuse worse," he said. "You've got access to abuse anyone you want at any given time. I think there would be similar sorts of crime and abuse at stadiums. But now this is terrible."
The former striker also spoke about the particularly bad situation for women in football, who face increased scrutiny and abuse due to their success on the pitch. Heskey has worked with Leicester's women's team since 2020 and seen firsthand the toll racism can take on players. "Why are female commentators getting abuse more than anyone else? How can we report it? And how do we get convictions? Something that is tangible and makes people sit up and realise they can't come on here and hurl abuse because they feel like it."
In response to these issues, Heskey has created the Football Safety App, which allows fans to report football abuse and provides a central hub for security professionals to liaise with stadium staff and police. "It was born out of my desire to make football a safer space and to protect my two sons taking their first steps in the professional game," he explained.
Heskey also spoke about the decline of Liverpool, a team where he won several trophies during his time there. He believes that the current team lacks the sense of unity and camaraderie that was present during his era, with many players seemingly stuck in a rut. "We never really had all our players in a rut at the same time," Heskey said. "They seem to have that."
Ultimately, Heskey's message is one of hope and change. He believes that football can be a safe and welcoming space for everyone, where people feel valued and respected. "Football is for everyone. We all love it," he said. "I'm not loving Liverpool right now, but we all love it. We've just got to make it a place everyone feels safe."
The former England striker Emile Heskey has spoken out about his experiences of racism in football, saying that no one should "just ignore" abuse anymore. In a recent interview, Heskey shared a harrowing story from his own playing days, where he was chased from Leicester City's old Filbert Street stadium by a man shouting racist abuse when he was just 14 years old.
Heskey's account highlights the reality of racism in football, which remains a pressing issue despite efforts to tackle it. The former striker revealed that he had to leave another stadium with his two sons, who were watching him play, after someone racially abused them. "They would've been kids so I don't think they would've understood what was going on," Heskey said. "We were walking from a stadium and something was said – I won't say what. But you just leave it and move on. They would've been in a stadium watching me play when things were being chanted."
Heskey believes that social media has made abuse worse, making it easier for people to spread hate with little consequence. "If anything, social media has made abuse worse," he said. "You've got access to abuse anyone you want at any given time. I think there would be similar sorts of crime and abuse at stadiums. But now this is terrible."
The former striker also spoke about the particularly bad situation for women in football, who face increased scrutiny and abuse due to their success on the pitch. Heskey has worked with Leicester's women's team since 2020 and seen firsthand the toll racism can take on players. "Why are female commentators getting abuse more than anyone else? How can we report it? And how do we get convictions? Something that is tangible and makes people sit up and realise they can't come on here and hurl abuse because they feel like it."
In response to these issues, Heskey has created the Football Safety App, which allows fans to report football abuse and provides a central hub for security professionals to liaise with stadium staff and police. "It was born out of my desire to make football a safer space and to protect my two sons taking their first steps in the professional game," he explained.
Heskey also spoke about the decline of Liverpool, a team where he won several trophies during his time there. He believes that the current team lacks the sense of unity and camaraderie that was present during his era, with many players seemingly stuck in a rut. "We never really had all our players in a rut at the same time," Heskey said. "They seem to have that."
Ultimately, Heskey's message is one of hope and change. He believes that football can be a safe and welcoming space for everyone, where people feel valued and respected. "Football is for everyone. We all love it," he said. "I'm not loving Liverpool right now, but we all love it. We've just got to make it a place everyone feels safe."
what's going on in football?? I mean I know racism has always been a problem but it sounds like some people are still having the nerve to be racist and think they can get away with it 
. Emile Heskey is speaking out and I'm so glad he is, because we need more voices like him calling out abuse and making changes happen 
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. Newsflash: it's not funny, it's disgusting and hurtful! And yeah social media is making it worse because you can just spread hate around all day without any consequences 
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! We need more people like him working together to make football a safe space for everyone 
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. They deserve just as much respect and protection as the men. And let's be real, social media doesn't help with all the sexism and misogyny 
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! Let's get behind him and his Football Safety App and make football a safe space for everyone! 
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. It's like they need some protection from the abuse, which Heskey has been trying to provide through his app - it's a good start 
. I mean, you can feel the lack of unity and camaraderie on the pitch now, like all those players are stuck in some sort of football rut 
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. Let's hope his app and other initiatives can make that happen 
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Did you see that stats on racist abuse in football? 
According to a 2020 survey by the FA, 1 in 5 black players and staff experienced racism while playing or working for an English club. 
Meanwhile, a 2022 study found that women's football receives 73% more online abuse than men's football. 
The rise of social media has definitely made things worse, as Heskey said. 
: a recent survey found that 1 in 5 fans admit to having experienced racist or abusive behavior while attending a match. 
And here are some mind-blowing stats on social media abuse 
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It seems like Heskey is onto something with his vision for a safer, more inclusive football space. 
we can all spread hate with just a few clicks. and im not surprised he's created the football safety app, its about time we take action against this kind of stuff 
. But now it's like, Emile Heskey has been saying this stuff for years, but still people getting abuse on the pitch 
. And what's even more sad is how social media makes it worse, where anyone can just throw around hate and get away with it 
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. But what really gets me is how he talks about the women in football being subjected to increased scrutiny and abuse... it's just not okay 
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he's right social media makes it worse people think they can just say whatever and get away with it because of the anonymity 
anyway i loved heskey's idea for a football safety app its a game changer 
. but what really got me was him talking about female commentators getting a lot of abuse 
. anyway... heskey's app sounds like a solid solution 
not really. And social media has made it way too easy to just spread hate around without any consequences 
... let's make it happen 
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gotta love him for taking action 