Players Views

Les Ferdinand

England

Have you ever experienced racism in you career?
Yes, in my younger days but it was always came from the supporters rather than from other players.

What advice would you give to youngsters who are suffering from racist abuse?
It's difficult to say really because racism affects people in different ways. But it's not something that should be accepted. Until enough is done about racism to get it completely eradicated from football, you just have to get on with your game and do the best that you can. Throughout my career, I think the teams that gave me the most racial abuse were the teams that I was scoring more goals against than anybody else. So it gave me that impetus to go and do well against their sides.

Do you think that there will be any problems at the Euro 2004 finals in Portugal?
Unfortunately, racism is definitely rearing its ugly head again. And it's becoming somewhat fashionable to chant at the black players. As we saw in England's qualifying matches for Euro 2004, and with some of our domestic clubs playing in Europe on a regular basis now, we've seen it rear its ugly head again, starting from the terraces. But at the moment I don't think that it's being hit harshly enough. Unfortunately, I do think that we will see where racism in football is heading in the Euro 2004 championships.

How can racism in football be stopped?
We've seen in recent years and months, clubs being fined for that sort of thing. But the piddling amounts of money that these clubs are being fined is no kind of deterrent to supporters on the terraces. And harsher penalties have to be given to these clubs, whether they are international teams or domestic teams. They should be punished in the way that affects the team and affects the people that are following the team. Until those harsh lines are taken you'll never eradicate racism in football.

What are your hobbies and interests outside of football?
I like playing tennis and also enjoy listening to music. I listen to hip hop and a bit of garage.

What are your future plans after your football career finishes?
I think this is my final season in the Premiership. I'm toying with the idea of coming back and doing some type of coaching. I've spent a lot of time in this industry and at a later date coaching is the sort of thing that I want to do.