This week could be a eureka moment for football. Most of the reaction to Raheem Sterling’s claims that parts of the media have racially biased agendas has been very positive. It feels like a genuine step forward is being made and that Sterling has managed to turn something outrageous into a catalyst for long, overdue change.

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I was pleased to see him take a stance and can relate to him feeling the need to do so. It’s not his job to do it – his job is to keep performing well for Manchester City and England and to focus on his family and whatever else he enjoys. He has been targeted for abuse for years but I’ve seen interviews when he has been asked about the media scrutiny on his life and he has batted the question away like a true professional focused on his job. But clearly he reached the end of his tether and decided it was time to say something publicly, while also defending his teammates. It is significant that he has done so from a position of strength: he’s arguably one of the most successful black players in the country, riding high in the Premier League and scoring goals every week for one of the best teams in Europe. But clearly for some people that doesn’t matter. Actually, it does matter: because for some people, the better you’re doing, the more abuse you can get. Let’s think about that.

One of the reasons why racism is rearing its ugly head again in football is because a lot of black players are enjoying success that is an affront to the traditional set-up of a society of white privilege. Football turns that on its head, at least in terms of players. When black men become millionaires and can buy expensive homes for their families, it infuriates people who cherish the social construct where white people are at the top and people of other ethnic backgrounds are below. Sterling, after his move to City from Liverpool, was immediately perceived as money greedy and is undeserving of his earnings. The minute he gets within earshot, some remind him of the colour of his skin because of the hatred underlying a black boy from the streets of London becoming a millionaire footballer. It is bad enough when that allegedly comes from ignorant people shouting in stadiums, but when powerful people in the media are perpetuating such stereotypes, it is even more sinister.

I am sure Sterling knew what sort of hostile reaction he would get from some people. But obviously he’s mentally very tough – since he was very young he’s played in front of thousands of people in stands every week and millions on TV – and the example he gave of the different ways MailOnline treated Tosin Adarabioyo and Phil Foden was so clear and objective it was unanswerable.

The heartening thing was the scale of the positive reaction. There seems to have been collective disgust and collective appraisal. There has been little beating about the bush and saying things such as: ‘Let’s have a debate about this,’ instead there has been recognition of racism – no ifs or buts. Also, usually what happens is you get Kick It Out or the same few black leaders in the media speaking out and other people become kind of desensitised, thinking: ‘OK, when something racist happens we’ll listen to them for a minute and then forget about it.’ But this time the criticism has not only been from the usual sources.

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I was impressed, for instance, with the way Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher spoke on Sky’s Monday Night Football. I respect Neville for admitting he did not know quite what to do when Sterling confided in him at Euro 2016 about the abuse he was getting. That has been encouraging: seeing powerful white men in football admit to failings and show a seemingly sincere willingness to assess their own thinking and actions with a view to improving. I’ve seen a lot of educating get done this week. Not to mention Neville and Carragher endorsing Sterling as a true professional with a top character, which makes the negative stories look even more absurd.

That all helps because they have a lot of influence. Many of the fans watching Monday Night Football will be white men who go to matches and might be sat next to a fan who’s going to shout abuse or even be like that themselves. So when you try to change the perception of people who hold such views, you are on to something. But I would like to see more educating. I would like, for example, more club chairmen and board members be proactive and say something similar with a zero tolerance approach.

Some people will refuse to learn, of course, and refuse to change. They must be called out and banned from football. No one should feel comfortable venting racist abuse, whether from the stands or through media outlets. Just as fans must call out any fans they see hurling abuse, journalists must call out colleagues who perpetuate divisive rhetoric. Name and shame them.

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Individuals showing solidarity and demanding certain standards are maintained can amount effective concerted action against racial bias in the media. Similar to the campaign the people of Liverpool have led against the Sun since that paper’s smearing of people around the Hillsborough disaster. Don’t read, click links or subscribe to any media organisations that peddle sinister untruths and stereotypes. This could be a solution to bring the end of the popularity of such negative narratives about black players in the press.