Hearts' Steven Naismith: Racist supporters are living in dinosaur age

Two supporters were arrested for alleged shouts at Motherwell’s Christian Mbulu last weekend. The Hearts owner Ann Budge quickly issued indefinite bans and Naismith admitted the situation is embarrassing.

“It’s embarrassing for the club as a whole because the people inside the club want the best for it,” he said.

“Someone said it’s the dinosaur age. It is. It’s shocking. The world is moving so far and so fast and yet you still have idiots who act back in the stone age.”

Steven Naismith

Budge took immediate action which drew praise from Naismith.

“With any issue, it’s never a case of hiding anything. It is a case of: ‘Right, there is a problem. Fix it.’ They have taken as big measures as they can as a club.

“You even see that down south. The clubs are not standing for it. Everyone moving forward as a unit is the only way it’s going to stamp this stuff out.”

Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling spoke out this week after also suffering racist abuse. “That shouldn’t need to be a tipping point, if I’m honest,” added Naismith. “But hopefully. Raheem Sterling has been a very brave person who has had enough and decided he is not going to stand for it. Fair play to him. He needs everyone in the football world, even fans at games, to stamp it out because it is ridiculous.”