Aberdeen midfielder Funso Ojo is ready to take a knee for the Black Lives Matter movement whatever the cost.
The Belgian, who moved to the Dons last summer, believes football can lead the way in the attempt to eradicate racism and has the full backing of his team-mates at Pittodrie.
As Scottish football gears up for its return Ojo is ready to lend his support publicly and has called on society to help push for a change in attitude towards diversity.
He said: “Would I like players in Scotland to be allowed to protest? Yes, I support that. I think there is a rule about not being allowed to show any political statements.
“But this is something that if they want to fine people for it, we’ll be happy to pay it.
“Football has the biggest platform, add up the supporters, the social media followers and the people who look at it – you can reach almost everyone in the world.”
Former Celtic player Aleksandar Tonev was found guilty of racial abuse towards Ojo’s Aberdeen team-mate Shay Logan in 2014 and Ojo has taken encouragement by the decreasing tolerance of racist behaviour in the game but he insists there is still much work to be done.
He said: “Racism is still there in football.
“I have only experienced it in Holland, but Shay has had it here in Scotland.
“It’s still there, but now it gets condemned more. It’s better now that we don’t just brush it off and move on, which is what happened years ago.
“Ten years ago we laughed it off and a lot of people will say for too long we turned the other cheek and moved on, but that’s the wrong way.”
Some players have considered walking of the pitch if they are racially abused by spectators and Ojo believes it is the best way of sending a message chanting is unacceptable.
He maintains educating people to change their attitude is key, but believes shaming those guilty of racist behaviour can also be an effective tool in the fight for equality.
When asked if players should walk off the pitch he said: “Yes because the people who do it in the stands came to watch the game initially. They don’t come to the stadium to do monkey chants.
“If we take the football game away from them and just stop the match then everyone is disappointed.
“Let’s be honest. If there are 50,000 people in the stadium at Manchester City there are only two or three saying something to Raheem Sterling.
“The other 49,997 are going to be angry at those two or three. Then they won’t do it again.”
