Chelsea fans banned as soccer racism just won't leave the field

Chelsea fans were banned from matches for alleged racial attacks on Manchester City player Raheem Sterling on Saturday. 

According to BBC, Chelsea has banned four spectators from attending their matches after an investigation into the racial abuse of the Manchester City forward. 

A video of the match between Chelsea and Manchester City was widely shared on social media. It shows four fans shouting at Sterling from the stands. 

Racially charged incidents aimed at black players in European football leagues have occurred frequently, with calls for the need to address racism in the sport.

According to the Guardian, a Tottenham Hotspurs fan was arrested a week ago after throwing a banana skin at Arsenal FC forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang during the game. 

Italian striker Mario Balotelli has been at the centre of many racial attacks on the field. In February he was booked after making a gesture towards Dijon fans who were making monkey chants, according to ESPN.

According to BBC, two spectators were arrested in Scotland for directing racial abuse at Motherwell substitute Christian Mbulu at Tynecastle Park last week during a match against Hearts. 

Liverpool's Luis Suarez was charged after aiming racial slurs at then Manchester United defender Patrice Evra, in a match in 2011. 

A campaign called Kick It Out was established 25 years ago to combat racism in football. According to the campaign, 53% of discrimination incidences reported between 2017-2018 were race related.