Brighton boss Chris Hughton says racism was commonplace when he was a player

Brighton boss and former Spurs full-back Chris Hughton features in episode 14 of My Icon Brighton boss and former Spurs full-back Chris Hughton features in episode 14 of My Icon

Brighton boss Chris Hughton admits the majority of black footballers of his era were forced to endure racism on a regular basis.

Former full-back Hughton had a successful playing career before becoming a manager. He won two FA Cups and the UEFA Cup with Tottenham and became the first-ever Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic [BAME] player to represent the Republic of Ireland at full international level.

But playing football in his heyday was far from easy, with Hughton and other black players of his generation forced to ignore torrents of racial abuse directed at them from the terraces.

My Icon is a 31-part series on Sky Sports Mix, bringing you interviews with BAME sportsmen and women every day in October. My Icon is a 31-part series on Sky Sports Mix, bringing you interviews with BAME sportsmen and women every day in October.

"It was something that we, and I, experienced on a regular basis," Hughton says in the latest episode of Sky Sports' My Icon series.

"I don't think any black footballer growing up and playing in the late '70s and '80s would not have experienced it.

"The only way to combat and work around it was to get on with the job. The best way was to work as hard as you could to prove as many people wrong as you could and to ignore it as much as you could.

"You had to take it for what it was and we knew what it was."

Hughton talks about his journey in the latest instalment of My Icon, which premieres on Friday at 7am on Sky Sports Mix and is available On Demand. The episode is repeated on Friday at 1pm and 10pm.

Coinciding with Black History Month, Sky Sports' #MyIcon campaign brings you 31 exclusive interviews with top BAME sports personalities across the month of October. For more information click here.