Thursday 4 April 2019 13:58, UK
Brighton boss Chris Hughton says players may be forced to take direct action in order to help tackle the problem of racism in football.
Hughton said he is disgusted by the abuse suffered by Juventus forward Moise Kean, which including monkey chants, during the Serie A leaders 2-0 win at Cagliari, on Tuesday.
Kean's team-mate Leonardo Bonucci provoked further outrage after the game by suggesting the forward was wrong for provoking the home fans.
England international Raheem Sterling labelled Bonucci's remarks "laughable", while Yaya Toure called them "a disgrace".
Bonucci later claimed he was misunderstood and said he condemns racism in all its forms.
The Brighton boss, whose side face Man City in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday, says football authorities must take tougher action on incidents like the one in Italy, and if they fail to hand out serious punishment, then players themselves may be forced to act.
Hughton said: "I am disgusted by the reaction of the crowd. Am I surprised? I think we have got to the stage where there aren't too many surprises in the game.
"Probably with all the games we have throughout Europe we have seen it more.
"It's disgusting. There is absolute no doubt that there has to be stricter penalties because this is so clear and obvious for everybody to see. It's not of a question that you are not sure of the reaction of the crowd and what they are saying.
"Everybody is sure so it can only be about the penalties.
"I have have heard about the possibility of teams walking off and the referee having a bigger influence - all of them things have to be spoken about.
"I heard the comments afterwards and they [Bonucci] have to have the opportunity to explain those comments."
England players were subjected to racist chanting during the recent 5-1 win in Montenegro, with Manchester City forward Sterling, Tottenham defender Danny Rose and Chelsea's Callum Hudson-Odoi all targeted.
Hughton says players could be forced into taking a bigger role in combating racism, if action by football's authorities does not eradicate the problem.
He added: "Ultimately it is down to the authorities if they are not coming down on stricter penalties [like] playing behind closed doors, and increasing the very minimal fines that we have seen.
"If they are not then it has to be taken out of their hands.
"What you might possibly see, because, it is something occurring time, and time, again is players themselves might end up having a bigger say, and a bigger voice."
