IN the wake of the repulsive racist treatment of black England players Shaun Wright-Phillips, Ashley Cole and Jermain Defoe in Madrid last week there's been the predictably pallid responses from UEFA and FIFA.

The respective governing bodies of European and global football poured their scorn on the appalling 'monkey' noises that cascaded around the Bernabeu stadium like a cacophony of vile bile.

But if truth be told both UEFA and FIFA are guilty of making a rod for their own backs because they have been far too lenient in their tolerance of racism which has never gone away both on the Continent and here in England.

It was less than two years ago when then Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier said he would have no qualms about leading his team from the field after black players Emile Heskey and Djimi Traore were racially abused in various European games, most commonly when encountering clubs from countries from the former Eastern bloc.

Heskey and other England caps were similarly abused during international games. Yet for all the moral indignation by the ruling powers, they did nothing save for their customary bout of hand-wringing and slaps on the wrists in the form of paltry fines.

And let the English not feel so sure-footed about invading the moral high ground after last week's coruscating chants which turned Madrid's Galaticos cathedral into the bear-pit of the Bernabeu.

Efforts to rid the scowl and scars of racism in football in England have been huge and laudable.

Indeed, such has been the impact of bodies like the Campaign for Racial Equality and the Kick It Out initiative that when last week's Madrid mayhem broke out it dragged memories back to the hate-filled terrace chants of the 1970s and 1980s when football in this country was nothing more than tribal warfare.

The game then was soiled by venomous chants, monkey impressions, even bananas being thrown at black players. No less an esteemed manager than Sir Bobby Robson recalled in sheer fury the time when National Front chants from so-called England fans were hurled at John Barnes on the same plane taking England and supporters back from an historic victory in Brazil's Maracana Stadium, where Barnes had scored one of the international goals of modern times.

Madrid 2004 was a malicious reminder of those far more vicious days. But while the chants and the fruit-throwing may have faded - well, the terrace abuse did until Dwight Yorke returned to Blackburn Rovers in a Birmingham shirt just over 48 hours ago - racism is still alive and thrashing its sorry carcass about in England.

Just consider every England international when the respective teams line up to attend to their national anthems. You can bet the national song of 'our' opponents is roundly and loudly drowned out by boos and jeers. There's no other word for that than racism.

So what's to be done? There's talk now of a swingeing fine for the Spanish FA and/or the national team having to play its next one, two, or three friendlies behind closed doors. Big deal.

UEFA and FIFA should unilaterally decree that any racist outburst will carry the penalty of three points being docked from that country's current World Cup or European Championship campaign.

And the same goes for clubs. Issue a racist rant and that club too is either stripped of domestic points or a cup place or - dare one say it - has Champions League points ripped from their grubby grip.

If UEFA or FIFA had acted as vigorously several years ago I reckon Madrid would never have happened and genuine inroads would have been made on stamping out the repellent obscenity that is racism.

Updated: 09:41 Tuesday, November 23, 2004