WHEN England's black players were racially abused in the Bernabeu last month, everyone involved in the domestic game comforted themselves with the knowledge that it wouldn't happen here.

Racism, for so long a blight on the beautiful game, was something that belonged to a bygone era, an age in which far-right apologists could hand out racist propaganda outside the ground and skinheads in bovver boots could hand down racist insults within it.

Football has changed hasn't it? We've got the glitz of the Premiership, where women and children sit side by side in their replica shirts, and the glamour of the Championship where new all-seater grounds are replacing the crumbling terraces of the past.

Racism isn't part of this picture and, save for the occasional rantings of an unreconstructed figure like Ron Atkinson, the English game deserves a pat on the back for ridding itself of one of its most cancerous growths.

A nice portrait of football in the new millennium - but a false one.

Within two weeks of claiming the moral high ground following events in Madrid, English football has seen a Blackburn fan given a five-year banning order for racially abusing Dwight Yorke and Rochdale supporters reported to the FA for directing monkey chants at Boston goalkeeper Nathan Abbey.

Quite clearly, racism has not disappeared. But as the footballing authorities look at how to deal with the current rise in racist activity, they could do worse than turn their attention to the North-East. Or to be more precise, to Sunderland.

Working in an area in which racial integration has been less pronounced than in most other parts of England, Sunderland have pioneered the use of football as a means to achieving closer racial harmony.

It has become mandatory for football clubs to claim they are doing all they can to combat racism but, all too often, the claims amount to little more than token gestures and empty words.

At Sunderland though, a determination to combat racism means exactly that and, already, both the club and the local community are reaping the rewards.

Earlier this year, the club became the first in the country to launch a free phone line which supporters can call confidentially to report incidents of racist behaviour or chanting.

Sunderland's stewards also undergo an intensive training scheme aimed at raising their awareness of what constitutes racism - something that is now being copied at clubs up and down the land.

Yet prevention is better than cure and, to that end, Sunderland have actively supported the formation of a 'Punjab army' supporters group and showcased Indian dance troupe 'Sharmeen' at the Stadium of Light.

They have also encouraged their players to speak to local schoolchildren on an anti-racism theme and, in midfielder Jeff Whitley, they have found a willing advocate of football in the community.

Born in Zambia, Whitley was subjected to bitter racist abuse when he moved to inner-city Manchester as a young child, an experience that remains with him today.

"I grew up in an area where I was the only black kid," said the Northern Ireland international. "I was the only one in the community and that was tough.

"There was only me, my brother and my sister,and my mum - that was it. The only black kids in the whole school. You can imagine how tough that was.

"I got quite a lot of stick as a kid and I grew up having to live with it. Once the people got to know us and began to realise we were normal people, it got easier and we were accepted in the community. But it was hard."

Whitley was forced to confront the racists on his own but, today, he hopes his celebrity status will help to protect others finding themselves in the same situation.

"Hopefully I've had a bit of an effect," he said. "It's different for a footballer to go to talk to these kids rather than a policeman or someone like that.

"If a policeman came into my classroom when I was at school, I would be at the back eating crisps.

"But, if it's a player - someone you go and watch - you are more likely to listen. People appreciate that you've taken the time out to go to talk to them."

Someone else who knows all about dealing with racism is former centre-half Gary Bennett.

The 43-year-old became one of the first black players ever to play in the North-East when he joined Sunderland in July 1984 - a time when racism in the English game was rife.

He has seen times and attitude change but, while the overt racism he encountered has largely disappeared, the underlying issue remains.

"You look now and every club in the English league has a black player on their books," said Bennett. "That's a massive step forward from the days when I was playing.

"When I was playing, there were certain grounds that you knew were basically going to be a no-go area for black players.

"Any black player visiting Newcastle at the time was expecting to be abused. There's the famous picture of John Barnes kicking a banana off the pitch and that was anything but unusual.

"Millwall was the other ground that really sticks in my memory. Black players knew they were going to be in for a rough ride down there at the time.

"That kind of racism has largely disappeared from the English game now - but that doesn't mean the issue of racism has gone."

Bennett is a patron of 'Show Racism The Red Card', a campaign that was set up in 1996 in an attempt to educate youngsters about racial issues.

Sunderland were the first club to associate themselves with the campaign and, while others have come on board since, the support of Sunderland Council has ensured that Wearside has remained the focal point for the group's work.

"That's enabled us to start running special courses in schools that include football coaching alongside classroom work that looks at issues of race," said Bennett.

"Next year, we hope to get other councils involved, so we might eventually be able to do the same kind of thing all over the country. "We've made massive strides, but there's still more to do. You're never going to stamp racism out entirely but English football can never afford to rest on its laurels."

After the sickening spectacle in Madrid, you just need to look to Spain for proof of that.