The abuse directed at members of England’s Under-21 side in Serbia was the latest episode of racism resurfacing in the modern game.

Football, many had hoped, had shed its ugly face, but all too alarmingly it appears to have simply lay dormant.

The events in Krusevac followed incidents in which factions of Croatian and Russian showered opposition players with abuse during Euro 2012, Luis Suarez and Manchester United captain Patrice Evra’s altercation at Anfield a little over 12 months ago, and more recently, John Terry’s FA charge for using abusive language towards QPR’s Anton Ferdinand.

Ahead of the United’s clash with Chelsea, where Terry’s team-mate Ashley Cole will meet Rio Ferdinand for the first time since the fallout from the Terry-Anton Ferdinand affair, Goal.com caught up with former Kick it Out founder director and FARE (Football Against Racism in Europe) executive director Piara Powar, ex-Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, and Goal.com’s Amar Singh, as we take at look at football’s biggest problem, and one it’s struggling to shake.