FANATICAL players in a black soccer team are facing the prospect hanging up their boots for the last time as 'society's in-bred racism' forces them off the pitch.

Bosses of the Caribbean Football Club, who play in the SGL Rover Select League in Preston and Leyland, say their players have to endure racism each time they play - from both fans and opposing players.

Now the team could be scrapped because local businesses won't sponsor them.

Manager Michael Grell said: "The abuse is from footballers within our own league who, I believe, should know better.

"Sometimes it is because we are winning, but either way it is not fair.

"The offenders are very crafty and hurl abuse behind the referee's back. When our player retaliates, it is us who get punished."

One Caribbean player has had bananas thrown at him by spectators.

And that, says Michael, is just the tip of the iceberg.

He added: "Spectators regularly shout racist comments which affect the players.

"It appears racism is still very prevalent.

"Campaigns such as the Kick Racism out of Football project are good but, as the Stephen Lawrence case shows, racism is still a major part of society.

"We are struggling to survive as a team because we can't get sponsorship.

"We approach firms, who are interested until we tell them our name, then they back off immediately. All we want to do is play football."

A spokesman for the league said they were aware of the team's problem.

He added any incident could be reported to the Lancashire FA if it could not be controlled by the referee.

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