It should be to the enormous shame of UEFA that players of colour are still openly abused under its jurisdiction.

Too often players are subjected to monkey noises and worse when playing in matches in parts of Europe, and UEFA’s sanctions are infamously lenient.

With the far right thriving, racists are increasingly emboldened. Football is always an outlet and the fact that black players were frequently abused during matches even in so-called better times is a concern now that racists are crawling back out from under their rocks.

England supporters past and present cannot be painted as innocents when it comes to matters of racism, but abuse of players is a more prominent issue - one England’s international players have experienced with disgusting regularity.

Most recently, the UEFA EURO 2020 qualification match in Montenegro ended with monkey noises directed from the stands towards some of England’s players. Danny Rose and Raheem Sterling made their feelings visibly known.

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The question of whether teams should leave the pitch when these despicable offences take place is one football has to deal with far too often. It’ll never be satisfactorily answered, such is the complexity of the issue.

Perhaps we should have expected England to provide a new perspective. Gareth Southgate’s respect for his players is paramount and he has a squad full of intelligent, confident, principled young men who’ve shown their willingness to own the story next time abuse happens.

England will not leave the pitch because the players themselves have agreed that they don’t intend to allow racism to distract from their performances.

It’s not a decision everyone will agree with but the trust Southgate has put in those players is admirable, as is the maturity with which they’ve chosen to play on in defiance.

The alternative - to walk off and make a statement - might be more effective; certainly there will be a view that international players have a responsibility to make that statement.

I don’t know the right thing for the players to do but I am continually impressed by the way this crop of England internationals conduct themselves.

We have a smart, fearless and focused squad who have beliefs and the wherewithal to promote them.

Sterling’s treatment by large sections of the press in England has forced him into the role of spokesperson, an advocate for the right of young, black athletes to live their lives without having to put up with bigotry.

He has emerged as a bright spot in the fight against racism. He speaks his mind and has a mind worth speaking. He picks battles he needn’t pick and does so for all the right reasons. Sterling is a diamond. A national treasure in a nation that doesn’t deserve him.

And he isn’t alone in the England camp. We’re privileged to have a group of players who are able to repay their manager’s trust by being the best representation of Englishness we could ask for.