Ian Wright condemns “racist” agenda against Raheem Sterling

Ian Wright believes the criticism Manchester City and England forward Raheem Sterling receives is driven by racism.

Sterling, 23, has in recent years been the subject of intense press coverage with his off-field activities often making the front pages. The latest incident concerned a gun tattoo he received prior to this summer’s World Cup.

Following the outcry, Sterling explained it was done as a tribute to his father who was gunned down and killed when he was just a two-year-old – but this episode and those before, as far as Wright is concerned, can be concluded as nothing but racially coded criticism.

“How many people do you see get the criticism Sterling gets?” he told BBC Radio 5 live’s Monday Night Club.

“The football criticism is something every player has to deal with, but what he gets I don’t see any other footballer getting. They don’t get that stick because for whatever reason they don’t rub up the people in the corridors of power the wrong way. I think there is an agenda against him.

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“There is an element of people at the high end of the media who want to keep that guy down. Simple. When you look at the wave of criticism that he takes, there is a certain amount of racism towards it – what else can it be?

“They are picking on him because of the background he has come from and they want to keep him down, drag him back down. They don’t want him to continue to be a success. People say you are playing the racism card, but you give me a good reason why Raheem Sterling gets the stick he gets for just being a footballer.”

Sterling’s World Cup

On the back off his most productive season as a professional footballer, having been involved in 40 goals across 46 matches (scoring 23 of those himself) for Manchester City as they romped to Premier League glory, much was expected of the Londoner who holds a prominent role under England boss Gareth Southgate.

However, he was unable to replicate that form in Russia. Across six appearances his only contribution was an assist in the 6-1 mauling of Panama.

That said, Sterling has historically found it hard to score for England with his last – and only second – goal for the Three Lions coming back in October 2015 against Estonia.

Following this summer’s World Cup, he was back in action for City and scored their opening goal of the 2018/19 campaign away to Arsenal.

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