QUOTE“Black or white, we all have football under our skin” – Eusebio.INTRODUCTIONAlthough for many it is an obsolete, archaic and even Neanderthal concept, racism still continues to dominate the and the back pages of newspapers across Britain. And especially in the sporting arena, where high-profile athletes and fans are subjected to ever-increasing scrutiny of their conduct both on and off the field. The Barclays Premier League is the most watched football league in the world, with players from over 100 nationalities represented and less than a third of English players themselves. So what happens? Based on statistics from Sporting Intelligence on the opening weekend of the 2012/2013 season, the Premier League boasted 183 black and 8 Asian players (Harris, 2012). This makes it even more incomprehensible that British football is seen as marginalizing black players and managers. With players like Ivory Coast international Yaya Toure and England striker Daniel Sturridge lighting up our screens this campaign, it seems racism within the game is a conversation not worth having. But unfortunately this is how it is. Many media responses and official studies reveal some of the complexities of football-related racism in Britain. Despite his public profile, the sources of racism in football have long been overlooked. There is no well-founded analysis of racism on English football pitches, despite several high-profile organizations such as Kick it Out and Show Racism the Red Card carrying out their own individual studies and assessments. Notable cases in recent years include the much-discussed John Terry at Loftus Road, an incident which later cost him the England captaincy, while Luis Suarez was banned for 8 matches after... mid-paper... this , the progress the NFL has made since implementing the rule is indisputable. It is clear that racism no matter how small the scale or how uneven the circumstance, is an ugly shade of the beautiful game. British football has made it clear that racism is high on its agenda. But are the steps they are taking big enough? The future of world football in the fight against racism is facing clear obstacles. The 2018 and 2022 World Cups will be hosted in Russia and Qatar, two nations that have had very public racial complications in recent years, in what appears to be a desperate if not naive attempt by FIFA to unite the world of football. Decisive action, zero tolerance and a no-nonsense approach to racism in the current game from British football will keep them well placed to face the biggest test of football's fight against racism.