PFA chairman: England players should leave the pitch if racially abused

10 Jun 2012 22:55:00

Former Burnley defender Clarke Carlisle insists the Three Lions squad are "well within their rights" to act as they see fit should they suffer racial taunts from crowds

Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) chairman Clarke Carlisle has insisted that any England players who are racially abused at Euro 2012 are "well within their rights" to leave the pitch.

European football governing body Uefa recently released a press statement stating that players could be booked if they walk off the pitch, even if they face racial taunts in Poland and Ukraine.

But former Burnley defender Carlisle has backed players to act as they see fit if they do not believe the referee is reacting accordingly to abuse from the stands.

"The reality and what we are being told and is reported is vastly different," he told BBC's Andrew Marr Show.

"As a player, if you see that the officials aren't handling the situation, then you are well within your rights to walk off the pitch in my opinion.

"Nobody should be abused in their work place, especially not racially. We don't want any form of discrimination at all in football. This is going to be a real test of Uefa to see if they have empowered their officials to take control of these situations.

"If you see that the referee is taking control of it. If he has stopped the game and it is one or two individuals and they are being sorted out, or if it is a group and he is taking the players off the pitch to sort it out, then you'd be happy because you know it is being dealt with."

Czech Republic defender Theodor Gebre Selassie was reportedly racially abused by Russia fans during a game on Friday and several Netherlands players were subjected to racial taunts as they trained this week.

When asked what he would do if he was racially abused on the pitch, Carlisle replied: "If it happened to me I would want to walk off the pitch because I don't think anybody should be abused in their workplace and I would hope that my team-mates would support me."