Sunderland legend Gary Bennett gives this response to recent spate of alleged racism directed at SAFC players

Sunday’s incident, when Sunderland defeated Tottenham Hotspur, was the third in successive months where black players at the club have been reportedly targeted either from the stands or from phones and keyboards.

It follows on from the derby at St James’ Park being temporarily stopped by referee Anthony Taylor after SAFC fullback Lutsharel Geertruida reported being the victim of alleged racist abuse from the terraces.

In February, the club also condemned reports of the ‘vile’ online racist abuse of Romaine Mundle following the Black Cats fixture against Fulham at the Stadium of Light.

Club legend and former skipper Gary said: “A big problem at the moment is people hiding behind their keyboards and using social media to publish their abuse.

“They sit in their rooms publishing these comments and once they press that button it can be seen by the whole world.

“The people making these comments aren’t necessarily football fans. They’re often fake accounts set up with false names.”

Gary does feel social media companies need to “take more responsibility” for what’s published on their platforms.

He added: “We’ve been saying for a long time, whether it’s racism, misogyny, or any form of prejudice, social media companies should be held accountable for what’s published on their platforms.

“There should be measures in place so they can monitor and prevent these sort of comments being published online.”

Despite the three incidents targeting Sunderland AFC players taking place in the space of just two months, Gary does still feel the situation in stadiums is much better than during his own playing days in the 80s and 90s.

He also praised both Sunderland AFC and Newcastle United for their handling of the alleged racist abuse which was reportedly directed from the terraces at SAFC fullback Lutsharel Geertruida during the Black Cats derby win on March 22.

He said: “The situation regarding racism in stadiums is much better than when I was playing. The big problem today is on social media.

“The situation at St James’ Park was handled very well by both clubs and the referee who stopped the game whilst it was dealt with.

“The players on the pitch from both sides remained calm and were very supportive of Geertruida, and both clubs came out very strongly after the game in their response to it.”

Following the alleged online racist abuse of Brain Brobbey after the Black Cats victory over Spurs on Sunday an SAFC spokesperson said: “This is not an isolated incident. Recent (alleged) abuse directed at Romaine Mundle and Lutsharel Geertruida highlights the ongoing and unacceptable frequency of this behaviour, both inside stadiums and online.”

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Central defender Gary made over 350 appearances for the club. After retiring from football, he has worked with the charity Show Racism the Red Card and has played a leading role in trying to eradicate racism from football and society.

In 2022 he received an MBE as part of the then Queen’s New Year’s Honours list for his tireless work in challenging and tackling racism.

Gary said: “Education is key. We need to keep working each day and sooner or later people will pick up this message.”