St Johnstone’s Gregory Tade believes that Scottish football has kicked racism firmly into touch.
The popular Frenchman played his part at the weekend in the national ‘Show Racism The Red Card’ campaign before the start of the game against Kilmarnock.
It is an issue that has affected Tade in the past, most infamously in 2008 when he was abused on the pitch by an East Fife player, an offence which resulted in an eight-match ban.
The Saints striker insists the severe punishment delivered exactly the right message and he believes incidents like that would not happen now in Scotland.
However, high-profile cases in England involving John Terry and Luis Suarez, as well as the disgraceful chanting at the England Under-21 game with Serbia last week, have shown work still needs to be done.
Tade said: ”It has been a problem before in Scotland in the lower leagues but it has been dealt with and I know every player in the country is right behind the Show Racism The Red Card campaign. So it is brilliant here.
”I’m not sure if it is different in England. Maybe the wages down there make players go crazy. Here, it is spot on but people need to keep supporting it.
”It has never happened again to me. I think the sanction of banning the player for eight games sent out the right message.
”I think it has shown that tough penalties work. If you kill someone, you go to jail for years so if you say some bad stuff to someone about his colour, it should be a big sanction.
”However, I believe it should be dealt with football-wise, not in a court of law.
”It should stay behind football’s doors but it should be dealt with ruthlessly to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
”I don’t think Suarez is going to misbehave again. He got his medicine and he has been educated by it. I think his team-mates will be angry with him if it happens again. It is not nice to hear something like that from a fellow football player.”