MANCHESTER City star Raheem Sterling has offered his support to a young Newport fan who has been the victim of racial abuse, encouraging him to "stand tall and be proud of who you are".
At Rodney Parade on Saturday, Sterling and 13-year-old Ethan Ross shared what the footballer called a "heartwarming" meeting.
It was probably as heartwarming for me as it was for you to finally meet up, Ethan. Again, always be proud of who you are, and never stay silent. #SpeakUp #youthsarethefuture pic.twitter.com/V8VXxtL8Ge
— Raheem Sterling (@sterling7) February 18, 2019
Following the Newport County vs Manchester City match, which City won 4-1, Sterling shared on Twitter a picture of himself and Ethan, with the caption: "It was probably as heartwarming for me as it was for you to finally meet up, Ethan.
"Again, always be proud of who you are, and never stay silent."
Sterling's words of encouragement for Ethan followed a letter sent in January, in which the footballer wrote: "Dear Ethan, I have recently been told from your loving Nanna Sue about the tough time you are having with racial abuse.
"Remember to stand tall and be proud of who you are and don’t let them take away your courage. You are strong and very brave, and your Nanna is also very proud of you. Keep being you kid.
"Remember speaking up doesn’t always make life easy, but easy never changed anything.
"With kind regards, Raheem Sterling."
After the meeting, Ethan told The Times: “It was incredible to meet Raheem. He gave me a signed shirt. I was shocked. I couldn’t sleep after the game.
“He was just speaking to me about what has happened in school. I said, ‘My nan has made you some Welsh cakes.’ He just said, ‘Thanks,’ and he started laughing!”
He added: “I was really shocked when he replied to my nan’s letter. I was bouncing around the room when I read it.
“It was really nice of him to send it. It was really respectful.
“He asked me what age group I played in and told me to forget about what happened at school and move on from it. It was great advice.”
Half Time viewing!!
— TheMCFCView (@TheMCFCView_) January 9, 2019
Read what @sterling7 sent to a fan that was suffering from racial abuse. This man does not get enough credit. 👏🏽 pic.twitter.com/N025OhFUMq
Sterling's sent that initial letter to Ethan just weeks after he had been the victim of alleged racial abuse at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea Football Club suspended four fans from attending matches pending further investigations.
Following that incident, Sterling wrote an Instagram post criticising the differences in the media's portrayal of young black and young white footballers.
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