Arsenal legend Ian Wright did not hold back in ruthless response to Dave Kitson’s PFA bid

Soccer Football - FA Cup Fourth Round - Arsenal v Manchester United - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - January 25, 2019 Former Arsenal player Ian Wright on the pitch before the match Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs

Arsenal hero Ian Wright reacted angrily to the news former Premier League forward Dave Kitson has put together a plan to become the new chief of the Professional Footballers’ Association but he has received widespread criticism

The striker, who represented the likes of Stoke Portsmouth and Sheffield United respectively but would have rarely garnered the interest of those using their voucher code comeon on an upcoming match, this week announced his intentions to oust current PFA chief Gordon Taylor by putting together his own blueprint for how he would lead the organisation.

Speaking in December 2018 regarding the abuse Sterling received from Chelsea fans at Stamford Bridge, he said the Man City player had brought the abuse on himself.

“I do believe that players make themselves a target. Why Raheem Sterling? There are other black players on the pitch, every single week.

“I just think that we have a duty of care to ourselves as footballers, to be a little bit careful with social media, and the way we portray ourselves.

“Jealousy is an awful thing amongst the human race.

Look at this rubbish. Same person now running to lead the PFA!!!! How can the PFA claim to take racism seriously when this is a candidate's views?? https://t.co/Pe2ZMemMPx

— Ian Wright (@IanWright0) May 1, 2020

“I trawled through Raheem Sterling’s Instagram feed this morning to find that a lot of what he put on in his early days has now been deleted, and it was, ‘look at my cars, look at my house, look at this bathroom, look at this, look at that, look at me.’ And that’s going to antagonise people.

“Now that is no excuse whatsoever for racially abusing somebody, but you sow a seed amongst people who are not racist, not to like that particular person, because they don’t want to see that in their faces every day.

“Now, when you go on to Raheem Sterling’s Instagram it’s ‘here’s a goal I scored last week, here’s me in a kids hospital.’ So someone’s got hold of him and said, ‘look, you can’t do that anymore. But that seed has already been planted in people’s heads.”

Kitson claimed Raheen Sterling brought the racist abuse on himself

Immediately after those comments were made, Tyrone Mings, who was due to appear on the show, announced he would refuse to speak to the radio station.

Kitson had also posted a picture on Instragram of a black man working at Tesco with the comment: “Breaking news: Danny Welbeck completes his move to my local Tesco.” And another surrounded by two luxury sports cars with the caption ‘starting to get bored’.

Former England and Sunderland player Michael Gray tweeted: “Dave Kitson…. chief executive..no thanks..!”

Gary Neville liked and retweeted the comment to show his approval of what Gray said.

Former Blackburn winger Steven Reid, now assistant coach at Scotland, also made his feelings known.

And so too did former Chelsea man Frank Sinclair, who said: “If Dave Kitson gets any role in the union I won’t be using them at all #fact”