Keegan calls on top brass to act swiftly to curb racism

KEVIN KEEGAN has called on soccer’s power-brokers to stop shirking their responsibilities and start protecting black players.

Along with Ashley Cole and Jermaine Jenas, Keegan’s Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips was disgracefully abused by Spanish supporters in Madrid on Wednesday night, with ‘monkey chants’ accompanying his every touch after he replaced David Beckham for the last half-hour.

It took 48 hours before an official apology was forthcoming from Spain, while FIFA and UEFA have done no more so far than promise to investigate the matter.

Keegan does not believe that is good enough. While the former England coach is confident Wright-Phillips will suffer no long-term mental trauma from his treatment, he does think those who control the game have a duty to act swiftly and firmly on his behalf.

“I won’t need to put an arm round Shaun,” said Keegan.

“I am very confident in his ability to bounce back. He is a strong lad, as are Ashley Cole and Jermaine Jenas. At least they can go back to their clubs and be glad they are playing in a country where they are respected for who they are, where a situation such as Wednesday’s would not happen - and even if it did the perpetrators would be dealt with properly.”

Keegan’s gripe is with those charged with governing football.

“What annoys me is the people in power seem to take so long to come out and say what everybody knows to be true,” he complained.

“Why can’t they just say ‘This is a disgrace; we have to stop it - not next week, not next month but now’.

“Instead, we get some weird comments coming out like ‘someone has to make a complaint’. That is what really gets on people’s nerves. Why do you need a complaint for something like that. You don’t need a complaint. Anyone with a modicum of a sense of justice in them knows what happened. People shouldn’t be scared to stand up and say something - it drives me crazy.”

Like Keegan with Wright-Phillips, Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger does not feel the need to take Cole to one side and build him back up.

The Frenchman is sure his full-back will recover from the torment.

“Ashley is mentally strong,” said Wenger. “I don’t know how much he’s been affected, but I’m convinced you won’t see that in his game this weekend against West Brom. He will not forget it, but he will get over it. I was proud of him in Madrid.”

England defender Rio Ferdinand and PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor have already confirmed they would have backed Sven-Goran Eriksson hauling his team off the pitch in protest at the abuse. Keegan knows how difficult a move that would have been and he is not convinced it would have been the right one.

“It is always easy to say what you would have done when it is not you,” he said. “I just felt if the referee had blown the whistle, got the players together and told the crowd the situation couldn’t continue it would have had a far bigger impact than players just walking off.”