Tougher sanctions may deter racism abuse :Rooney

Wayne Rooney believes only tougher sanctions for racist abuse like points deductions will prevent further incidents and revealed a player cried on his chest after they suffered racism.

Speaking on his new BBC podcast, The Wayne Rooney Show, former England and Manchester United captain Rooney reflected on what changes need to occur to help tackle discrimination.

Last week saw two major incidents, with Antoine Semenyo of Bournemouth allegedly racially abused by a spectator in the crowd during their 4-2 loss at Liverpool and Tottenham forward Mathys Tel receiving abuse online for a missed penalty in their Super Cup defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

Ex-DC United boss Rooney said: "I had it in DC with one of my players who got racially abused and he was crying on my chest. I was holding him as he was crying on my chest.

"I don't think people realise they say it as a throwaway line that they think has no meaning behind it, but it hurts people. For people to see that and understand, there has to be more done to stop it."

 He says points deductions and education if  forward are key deterrents to prevent racism.