Gareth Bale says he would support his Wales team-mates if they decided to walk off the pitch due to racist abuse during a game.
FIFA has opened disciplinary proceedings after England players Raheem Sterling and Jude Bellingham were reportedly racially abused during a World Cup qualifier away to Hungary.
Gareth Southgate’s side were also booed from some sections of the crowd inside the Puskas Arena while taking the knee prior to kick-off. They went on to win the game 4-0 in Budapest.
Speaking ahead of his Wales qualifier in Belarus on Sunday, Bale feels it is only a matter of time before teams walk off the pitch in response to such abuse – a move he feels would be correct in the circumstances.
If things don t get sorted, that will happen, the Real Madrid forward said.
If we felt we weren t getting protection and being treated the right way by the governing bodies and the only way to get the best response was to walk off, I d be fully for it.
At the end of the day, it s the right thing to do and it s more important than football.
We haven t discussed it. But we d have that discussion if it happened and we d all agree on it as we re a team that sticks together and if anyone is being targeted, we ll do the right thing.
Just another average training session
— Wales (@Cymru)
As for his club career, Bale is back at Madrid after a season on loan at Tottenham last term.
He has started all three LaLiga games under Carlo Ancelotti and, while having enjoyed his time back at Spurs, the 32-year-old is delighted to be part of a better environment at Los Blancos.
It is always good to be in a good environment, said Bale, who fell out of favour with former Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane.
I think the biggest reason why I went to Tottenham was because I knew it would be a better environment for me, a break that maybe I needed at the time.
I had a great time at Tottenham. It definitely helped me mentally to be back in a happier place. I think that showed again coming back with Wales in the Euros.
I have brought that into Real Madrid this season, where obviously there is a better environment for myself anyway.
