Former England striker Emile Heskey believes that the days of ignoring racism in football are over and that fans should take action against it. The 47-year-old, who played for Leicester City and Liverpool among others, spoke out about his own experiences with racism during his playing career, including being chased from the stadium as a teenager.
Heskey's stories are harrowing, recalling incidents where he was left with two of his sons, Jaden and Reigan, who were just four and six years old at the time, after someone racially abused them. He says that in those days, people would just ignore it or tell kids to "turn the other cheek" but now, that approach is not good enough.
Heskey's motivation for creating the Football Safety App, a new online tool that allows fans to report football abuse, stems from his desire to make football a safer space and protect his own children as they begin their careers. The app is not just about racism, but about tackling all forms of abuse in football.
The former Liverpool player also spoke out on other issues, including the decline of the club he won several trophies with during his time there. He praised the players from his era who would dig their teammates out of holes, such as Stevie Gerrard, Michael Owen and Jamie Carragher, but lamented that current teams seem to lack this kind of unity.
Heskey's passion for making football a friendlier space is clear. "Football is for everyone," he says. "We all love it. I'm not loving Liverpool right now, but we all love it. We've just got to make it a place everyone feels safe." He believes that the days of ignoring abuse are over and that fans should take action against it, using tools like the Football Safety App to report incidents and ensure that players feel supported.
The former England striker's comments come at a time when Mohamed Salah has spoken out about being left out of Liverpool's starting lineup for three games in a row. While Heskey praised Salah as a player who would dig his teammates out of holes, he also highlighted the lack of unity among current teams, which he believes is a problem that needs to be addressed.
Ultimately, Heskey's message is one of hope and action. He believes that football can be a place where everyone feels safe and supported, but it requires effort from all fans to make this happen. The Football Safety App is just one step in the right direction, but it is clear that more needs to be done to tackle the issues that plague the sport.
Heskey's stories are harrowing, recalling incidents where he was left with two of his sons, Jaden and Reigan, who were just four and six years old at the time, after someone racially abused them. He says that in those days, people would just ignore it or tell kids to "turn the other cheek" but now, that approach is not good enough.
Heskey's motivation for creating the Football Safety App, a new online tool that allows fans to report football abuse, stems from his desire to make football a safer space and protect his own children as they begin their careers. The app is not just about racism, but about tackling all forms of abuse in football.
The former Liverpool player also spoke out on other issues, including the decline of the club he won several trophies with during his time there. He praised the players from his era who would dig their teammates out of holes, such as Stevie Gerrard, Michael Owen and Jamie Carragher, but lamented that current teams seem to lack this kind of unity.
Heskey's passion for making football a friendlier space is clear. "Football is for everyone," he says. "We all love it. I'm not loving Liverpool right now, but we all love it. We've just got to make it a place everyone feels safe." He believes that the days of ignoring abuse are over and that fans should take action against it, using tools like the Football Safety App to report incidents and ensure that players feel supported.
The former England striker's comments come at a time when Mohamed Salah has spoken out about being left out of Liverpool's starting lineup for three games in a row. While Heskey praised Salah as a player who would dig his teammates out of holes, he also highlighted the lack of unity among current teams, which he believes is a problem that needs to be addressed.
Ultimately, Heskey's message is one of hope and action. He believes that football can be a place where everyone feels safe and supported, but it requires effort from all fans to make this happen. The Football Safety App is just one step in the right direction, but it is clear that more needs to be done to tackle the issues that plague the sport.
I'm so glad Emile Heskey is speaking out about racism in football, it's time we take action against it 
. His stories are heartbreaking and it's crazy how people would just ignore or tell kids to "turn the other cheek" back then. Now, we need to take a stand and report incidents like the Football Safety App does 
. It's not just about racism though, it's about creating a safe space for everyone in football 
️.
. These players would dig each other out of holes, but current teams seem to lack that kind of camaraderie 
. We need more fans and players working together to create a positive atmosphere in football 
.
. It's time for us all to take action and make football a place where everyone feels safe and supported 
.
Like, who is behind these racist incidents? Is it a small group of fans or is it a bigger agenda at play? I don't think Heskey just happened upon this idea to create an app out of the blue. There gotta be more to it than that. And what about all the other players who've spoken out against racism in football? Are they just getting together, sharing their stories and coming up with this same idea? I'm not saying they're wrong, but... 
. He's always gonna bring up his own kids getting abused, but what about all the other players who've come out of abuse and gone on to be amazing? We shouldn't be judging them for trying their best 
. Plus, what about all the fans who aren't racist or abusive? They're still part of the problem if they just sit back and do nothing 
. We need to get everyone involved in making football a safe space for all, but we can't do that by tearing down teams and players who are trying their best 
.
The fact that Mohamed Salah spoke out about being left out of the lineup is also concerning - we need more unity and support among teammates and fans. 
Let's all take Heskey's words to heart and make a change for the better. 
- it's one of those simple tools that can make a big difference.
. Players like Stevie Gerrard and Jamie Carragher were total legends for digging their teammates out of holes 
. We need more of that unity and camaraderie in modern football 
.
. We need to take ownership of our role as fans and use tools like the Football Safety App to make a difference 
.
and now he's created this app to report abuse, that's a great step but we need more than just an app to solve this problem... fans need to be aware and take action 
. I mean, Heskey's trying to make a difference with his app and all, but what's to say this won't just lead to more problems? Like, will fans really report abuse, or are they just going to cover it up like they did back in the day? And what about the clubs that don't want to get involved? They'll just find ways to sweep it under the rug. I'm not saying Heskey's approach is a bad idea, but we gotta be realistic here... 
. And yeah, the Football Safety App is a great idea 
.
its high time ppl start takin action insted of just ignoring it or tellin kids 2 turn da other cheek lol idk wut heskey's ex, but dat app he created sounds like a pretty cool tool 
sounds like dey lost dat unity vibe dat was good in de old days 
. Those kinds of incidents need to be reported and dealt with ASAP 
. The Football Safety App is a great tool for that, but we need more initiatives like it, not just from fans but also from the clubs themselves 
.
. It's so true! The sport should be inclusive, fun, and safe for all ages and backgrounds 
. We need to create a culture where everyone feels welcome and supported, not just the privileged few 
.