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'We'll come off pitch together': Harry Kane leads England's charge against racism

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ANI Football
Last Updated : Oct 09 2019 | 1:20 PM IST

England football skipper Harry Kane has decided to take the fight against racism in his own hands, as he is prepared to lead his team off the field if players suffer racial abuse in Euro 2020 qualifiers.

Striker Tammy Abraham has revealed that the skipper has conveyed his charge against racism to all his teammates.

"Harry Kane said that if it happens (racist abuse) and we are not happy with it, we speak to the player and if he is not happy, we all come off the pitch together," Goal.com quoted Abraham as saying to English daily 'The Mirror'

"It is a team thing. Do not isolate one person, we are a whole team. If it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us," he added.

Many England players including Raheem Sterling and Danny Rose, were subjected to monkey chants during the team's match in March this year.

Ahead of the upcoming matches in the Euro 2020 qualifiers, England players have held meetings to discuss their plan of action if there are any racist chants directed at them from fans.

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England's match against Bulgaria has been in the constant spotlight as the stadium is already reduced to a lower capacity.

Bulgarian fans engaged in racist chanting in the side's match against the Czech Republic and Kosovo.

"Kane did ask the question about instead of going through the three steps, if we decide that we want to stop the game and we want to stop the game - no matter what the score is - if we are not happy with it, as a team we will decide whether or not to stay on the pitch," Abraham said.

UEFA has a three-step protocol to deal with racism. In the first step, an announcement is made at the stadium to instruct the crowd if there is any racist abuse.

In the second step, the players can leave the pitch while a second message is delivered to fans, before, finally, a decision is made whether to abandon or restart the match.

England is currently on top of their qualifying group after 12 points from their four matches.

In England's domestic football competition, Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba were also subjected to racial abuse on social media after failing to convert a penalty.

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First Published: Oct 09 2019 | 1:00 PM IST

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