Arsenal legend Ian Wright has accused the British Media of racism following the criticism Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling has faced in the past few months.
Sterling opened the scoring in City’s 2-0 Premier League win over Arsenal on Sunday, having scored 23 goals in all competitions as Pep Guardiola’s men swept to the top-flight title and the EFL Cup last season.
He started six matches for England at the World Cup but failed to find the net and the 23-year-old’s performances polarised opinion during the Three Lions’ run to the semi-finals.
Prior to the tournament, Sterling was subjected to disapproving coverage from The Sun newspaper regarding a tattoo of a gun on his right leg, while various elements of his lifestyle – including buying clothes at budget store Primark, a pasty from bakery chain Greggs and a house for his mother – have seen him targeted by the UK tabloid press.
“The football criticism is something every player has to deal with, but what he gets I don’t see any other footballer getting.
“They don’t get that stick because for whatever reason they don’t rub up the people in the corridors of power the wrong way. I think there is an agenda against him.
“When you look at the wave of criticism that he takes, there is a certain amount of racism towards it – what else can it be?”
In a piece for the Players Tribune published during the World Cup, Sterling stated he no longer worries about certain parts of the media “picking on me”.
Following his goal against Arsenal at the weekend he cupped his ear while wheeling away in celebration, explaining to Sky Sports afterwards that “there’s been a lot of talking so I got a little celebration in there”.
“They are picking on him because of the background he has come from and they want to keep him down, drag him back down,” Wright added. “They don’t want him to continue to be a success.
“People say ‘you are playing the racism card’, but you give me a good reason why Raheem Sterling gets the stick he gets for just being a footballer.”
Ex-Chelsea striker Chris Sutton, also speaking on 5 live, said: “I think the outside stuff did affect his World Cup performances.”
He added: “I don’t understand it because last season for City he really matured into a top player. He was one of the reasons why they were so devastating.
“There seems to be an element of people in this country who delight in kicking him and I don’t get it.”