Former Everton defender Joleon Lescott thinks he'll be dead before there's a change regarding racism in football. The 43-year-old, who enjoyed a distinguished Premier League career, spent much of his playing days refusing to support anti-discrimination body Kick It Out.

His stance originated from a 2007 incident involving former Newcastle United midfielder Emre Belozoglu. The Turkish international faced accusations of racially abusing Everton's Joseph Yobo but was ultimately cleared of wrongdoing.

In a separate case, Belozoglu received a two-and-a-half-month suspended prison sentence in 2014 for directing a racist slur at midfielder Didier Zokora while representing Fenerbahce in 2012, reports the Mirror.

Lescott has now delivered a scathing assessment of how football authorities handle racist abuse, reflecting on the 2007 incident and the subsequent Football Association hearing, with the FA maintaining close ties to Kick It Out.

Continue Reading: Ex-Everton star on 'racism case' that led to him turning his back on Kick it Out