Victor Anichebe has detailed the horrendous racism he endured while representing Everton in the Europa League.
Anichebe, now 32, came through the ranks and went on to make more than 150 appearances for his boyhood club while scoring 26 goals.
He twice featured in Europa League campaigns under former manager David Moyes and said 'he felt sorry' for those who hurled abuse at him.
"One of the worst experiences of racism I have ever received was in an away Europa League game when I was at Everton," he told evertonfc.com.
"It was terrible. We were walking around the stadium and some of the opposition supporters were spitting all over me. The people who were walking with us put umbrellas up to shield the players.
"Some fans were throwing bananas, too. I just felt sorry for those people – to have so much hate eating you up inside.
"I scored in the match. But it’s not enough that a black player can score a goal to answer back to those people. What does that even mean? It’s more than sport. They need to be educated if real change is going to happen."
Anichebe admitted his parents encountered racism when he was growing up and asserted education is key to stamping down on abuse.
"Racism need to be called out in football games," he added. "If someone is being racist, they need to be reported and that can be done anonymously.
"People can take pictures or videos of the offenders and action needs to be taken. It’s the same for people who make racist comments online.
"I think educating people is so much more important than banning them. And if they fail to show willingness to be educated, then ban them.
"Because if you just ban someone, they will continue to have that hate inside them – ‘I’ve got banned because of this black person’.
"I want to give people another chance. We should try to educate them and understand why they have that hate and let them know it’s not okay."
The murder of George Floyd in America inspired Premier League players to support Black Lives Matter following the restart and Anichebe believes he is witnessing progress.
He also revealed he is currently 'expanding' his skills alongside former Everton team-mates James Vaughan and Joleon Lescott in an attempt to land a senior football position in the future.
"I think over the past few months, things have been different," he said. "Things are changing. I went to the Black Lives Matter marches in Liverpool. It was great to see such a diverse crowd there – people from many different backgrounds and nationalities.
"I was really proud of Liverpool when I went. I didn’t think the turnout would be like that. It shows people are together.
"But what’s the end goal now? What are we pushing towards?
"In society, we need to figure out ways to make systematic changes, or we’ll lose momentum. We need equal opportunities for black people. In football, there are so many senior roles available that could be filled by black people.
"It’s something I’ve always wanted to do – go into those positions - to have a seat at the table. The events of the last couple of months have prompted me to sit up and look at it more seriously.
"I’m doing some courses now focused on expanding my skills that could help me get into those roles. I know James Vaughan and Joleon Lescott are also looking to take courses like that, too. It’s up to us to take action.
"It’s important that racism is being covered in the sports pages in newspapers and on television sports bulletins. Some people might say, ‘I’m sick and tired of this racism stuff’. How do you think we feel as black people? We’ve had it our whole lives.
"We can’t say, if people are uncomfortable with stories about racism, we won’t talk about this anymore. The conversation has to continue, in football and outside of football. The issues are so deep and the education must go on."
