STEVEN GERRARD has called for stronger punishments to tackle racism as he revealed more members of his Rangers squad have been targeted by abuse from supporters.
Striker Alfredo Morelos insisted this week that he would not be driven out of Ibrox following what he claimed was racist abuse directed at him on and off the park during his time in Scottish football.
That came after Aberdeen defender Shay Logan called out comments sent to him on social media following the Dons' Premiership draw with Rangers at the weekend.
Gerrard believes clubs should be accountable for the actions of their supporters when it comes to combating racism as he called for extra police resources to be put towards eradicating the issue from our society.
The 39-year-old stopped short of insisting that Strict Liability should be introduced in Scottish football but believes clubs can work with UEFA and the authorities going forward.
Gerrard said: "I have heard some of the players in my dressing room complain of it from the terraces which is disappointing. We also saw the Shay Logan stuff at the weekend which is also disappointing.
"This is not just a problem for Alfredo, it is still here in Scotland. From what I hear in my dressing room it is still a problem. Players have told me they’ve heard it, not just towards Alfredo, from the stands.
"It’s very embarrassing in but it doesn’t surprise me that it’s happening around Europe. But it certainly seems to have got worse in the last couple of months where there have been individual incidents at certain clubs - there was one at Chelsea and stuff at Tottenham.
“You see Alfredo’s interview and Shay Logan’s so it’s not just Scotland, it’s happening in the English Premier League as well and I experienced it in Europe when I was coaching Liverpool’s youth team.
“We need to continue to stick together and keep doing the right things to try and eradicate it from all levels of football.
“The punishment for offenders isn’t strong enough across the board. In life, if you’re growing up and you know that punishment is extreme for any type of behaviour then you think twice about doing it.
“If the punishment isn’t enough financially, getting banned for life or police investigation and the chance to go to jail for that type of behaviour then people will continue to do it because they get away with it too light."
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