蜜芽传媒

Stoke City midfielder Darren Fletcher says Raheem Sterling's response to alleged racist abuse from Chelsea fans will be looked back on as a "pivotal moment" in history.

Following the alleged incident, Manchester City and England forward Sterling posted on Instagram saying newspapers are helping to "fuel racism" by the ways in which they portray young black footballers.

Scotland international Fletcher says Sterling's statement will make people think about "how they write things, or how they say things".

He also believes footballers receive more abuse now than they did five to 10 years ago, citing the abuse his Stoke team-mate James McClean receives for refusing to wear a poppy, and also his own experience, where fans taunted him following his return to action after suffering with ulcerative colitis.

This clip was first broadcast during 5 live Sport, Wednesday 12 December 2018.