Former England striker Emile Heskey is fighting back against the scourge of racism in football, using his own experiences to drive change. When he was 14, Heskey recalls being chased from Leicester City's old Filbert Street stadium by a man shouting racist abuse after mistaking him for another player. The incident left a lasting impact on the now-47-year-old, who says it made him question why fans should ignore such behavior.
"It don't make sense to me," Heskey said. "If someone is shouting at you and telling you that you're not good enough because of your colour or your nationality, then they are wrong. Why would anyone want to ignore that? It's our job to make sure everyone feels safe in the stadium."
Heskey's experiences have also shown him the importance of female players and staff being protected from abuse. As a co-creator of the Football Safety App, which allows fans to report abuse, he says women are often targeted more than men.
"It's a terrible problem," Heskey said. "Women in football face different challenges, they're not just faced with racism, but sexism, misogyny, and all sorts of other forms of abuse."
Heskey's own son, Reigan, 17, has been playing for Manchester City since the age of eight, and the former England striker says he was always worried about his sons being targeted by racist fans. He recalls one incident where a rival player shouted an insult at him, but instead of reacting, Heskey stood back and told his son to focus on the game.
"I didn't want my kids to get distracted," Heskey said. "I wanted them to be able to play their football without anyone bothering them."
Despite winning several trophies with Liverpool during a four-year spell at Anfield, Heskey says he's never seen a cohesive response from players when fans are abusive towards them.
"We had fighters like Stevie [Gerrard], Michael [Owen] and Jamie Carragher," Heskey said. "They'd dig you out of a hole with their performances on the pitch. But now, it seems like no one's doing that."
In an era where players are under immense pressure to perform, Heskey believes that talismen need to step up to help the team through tough times.
"We're not seeing that from our current players," Heskey said. "Generally, you look towards someone who is a bit of a talisman to say 'come on'. I don't think Virgil [van Dijk] or Mo [Salah] are having great times right now, so we need someone else to step up."
Heskey's passion for making football a safer space has only grown in recent years. He believes that the sport is for everyone and that it's our collective responsibility to make sure every fan feels welcome.
"Football is for everyone," Heskey said. "We all love it, but we've got to make it a place where everyone feels safe."
"It don't make sense to me," Heskey said. "If someone is shouting at you and telling you that you're not good enough because of your colour or your nationality, then they are wrong. Why would anyone want to ignore that? It's our job to make sure everyone feels safe in the stadium."
Heskey's experiences have also shown him the importance of female players and staff being protected from abuse. As a co-creator of the Football Safety App, which allows fans to report abuse, he says women are often targeted more than men.
"It's a terrible problem," Heskey said. "Women in football face different challenges, they're not just faced with racism, but sexism, misogyny, and all sorts of other forms of abuse."
Heskey's own son, Reigan, 17, has been playing for Manchester City since the age of eight, and the former England striker says he was always worried about his sons being targeted by racist fans. He recalls one incident where a rival player shouted an insult at him, but instead of reacting, Heskey stood back and told his son to focus on the game.
"I didn't want my kids to get distracted," Heskey said. "I wanted them to be able to play their football without anyone bothering them."
Despite winning several trophies with Liverpool during a four-year spell at Anfield, Heskey says he's never seen a cohesive response from players when fans are abusive towards them.
"We had fighters like Stevie [Gerrard], Michael [Owen] and Jamie Carragher," Heskey said. "They'd dig you out of a hole with their performances on the pitch. But now, it seems like no one's doing that."
In an era where players are under immense pressure to perform, Heskey believes that talismen need to step up to help the team through tough times.
"We're not seeing that from our current players," Heskey said. "Generally, you look towards someone who is a bit of a talisman to say 'come on'. I don't think Virgil [van Dijk] or Mo [Salah] are having great times right now, so we need someone else to step up."
Heskey's passion for making football a safer space has only grown in recent years. He believes that the sport is for everyone and that it's our collective responsibility to make sure every fan feels welcome.
"Football is for everyone," Heskey said. "We all love it, but we've got to make it a place where everyone feels safe."
I think Emile Heskey's experiences are super inspiring, you know? He's been through some really tough stuff and still wants to use his platform to make a change 
. It's crazy how much of an impact one person can have when they speak out against racism and abuse in football 
. And I love how he's using the Football Safety App to report incidents, that's such a great initiative 
. We need more people like Emile who are passionate about making our communities (both on and off the pitch) safer for everyone 
.
I remember watching England games with my mates when I was younger and people would shout racist abuse at the black players. It's disgusting that some fans still do that, but I'm glad he's speaking out against it 
The Football Safety App is a great idea, we need more of those to report abuse so everyone can feel safe in the stadium 
. I mean, can you believe how some fans still think it's okay to be racist or sexist towards others? It just doesn't make sense 
. Like, if someone is being abusive and stupid, shouldn't we all stand up for the person being targeted? 
.
. But at least people like Emile Heskey are speaking out and trying to make things better 
. We need more people like him who care about creating a safe and inclusive environment for everyone 
, football's gotta do more to tackle racism and abuse. Emile's experiences are real, and it's shocking he had to go through that at 14 
. The fact that women in football are still being targeted is just ridiculous - we need to do better 
. Newsflash: fans are part of the problem, not the solution 
. Football's not just about winning trophies; it's about creating a culture of respect and inclusivity 
.
, especially how he stands up for what's right even after going through something similar himself at 14. It shows that we don't have to ignore these issues, but rather speak out against them.
. Football should be a place where everyone feels welcome and included, and we all have to play a part in making that happen 
Emile Heskey's story is super relatable, you know? I mean, who hasn't had that moment of being just a normal fan at the game and someone yells some shady stuff at them. But the thing that really gets me is how he's turning this into action - like, creating an app to report abuse and all that jazz. It's about time someone took responsibility for making sure everyone feels welcome in the stadium 
. I'm not gonna lie, it's a bit disheartening to hear him say that players aren't stepping up to help their teammates through tough times though