'It's slowly creeping in a bit more now': Viv Anderson claims racism had made its way back into football as England's first black senior player brands current fines 'pathetic' and calls on former pros like Ian Wright to do more to help combat the issue

• He was the first black player to be capped by England at senior level in 1978 
• Viv Anderson used the abuse suffered by Raheem Sterling last season as proof
• The 63-year-old called for there to be more black people at the top of the game 
• The former defender was a European Cup winner with Nottingham Forest 
• Anderson also represented Arsenal and Manchester United in his club career 

England's first black senior footballer Viv Anderson says racism is make its way back into the sport, and has labelled fines handed out when fans are caught hurling abuse as 'pathetic'.

Anderson was the first black player to be capped by England at senior level in 1978 and represented Nottingham Forest, Arsenal and Manchester United in a 21-year club career.

The 63-year-old also claimed fellow high-profile former professionals such as Ian Wright have not done enough to support black players and eliminate racism from the game.

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England's first black senior player Viv Anderson says racism is make its way back into football

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Anderson was the first black player to be capped by England at senior level in 1978

Anderson - who recalled having bananas, apples and pears thrown at him on the pitch during his early career - revealed his concern that players are facing racism more than 'ever before'. 

Speaking on the Saga podcast, Anderson said: 'It is a concern for me. I look at the Raheem Sterling thing - he was going to get a ball and then somebody racially abused him - and it went on for weeks and weeks.

'It's slowly creeping in a bit more now than it ever did before. I think the fines are bordering on ridiculous. When the England team go abroad, it's more prevalent there, and I think the fines are bordering on pathetic.

'If you said to one of the associations 'well the fine is £6 million', I think they would get people out of that stadium very quickly. They wouldn't be welcomed back.

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Anderson also claimed former professionals like Ian Wright must do more to combat racism

'I think the fines have got to be more substantial. You've got to make a point that it's not acceptable in 2020.

'I've been to the FA, I've said 'you have to get these people involved, the people who have been there, seen it, got the T-Shirt,' he continued.

'All these people like Ian Wright are not involved in football - they've been doing stuff on the television but they're not involved in helping the next generation of footballers and black footballers.

'These people have got vast experience of playing at top level, winning things, playing for England - they should be passing their experience on to these kids but nobody does anything about it.'

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Anderson used the abuse received by Raheem Sterling last season as one example of racism

Anderson, who won the league title and European Cup at Nottingham Forest,  also said there needs to be more black people at the top of the game.  

'I go back to when I was a manager, 20, 30 odd years ago. Keith Alexander was the first black professional manager, I followed him literally weeks later.

'I remember the headlines in the paper - 'this is the start of the new generation'. We go 30 years on, I think we've only got two prominent black managers in there.

'Something's got to give. Nothing's changed in 30 odd years.'

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The European Cup winner also called for more black people at the top of the game