Royals Racism Reward

Following a strong campaign amongst the local community, Reading Football Club have been awarded the preliminary level of Kick It Out’s Racial Equality Standard.

The aim of the standard is to assist the club in dealing with racism issues, spanning anywhere from staff to youth players.

Royals Chairman John Madejski has been at the forefront of the campaign and revealed the clubs commitment in dealing with racism.

He said: ‘We are committed to engaging closely with all sectors of our local community.

‘Sport can act as a catalyst for eradicating racist behaviour and beliefs from the wider society.’

Royals Cameroon star Andre Bikey had to deal with a torrent of racist abuse whilst plying his trade in Russia.

Bikey admitted that during his time in Russia he was forced to by a gun to protect himself from potential racist attacks.

He feels that England are leading the way in dealing with racist issues and other countries need to follow suit.

He said: ‘English football has made great strides in combating discrimination, other nations should follow its lead.’