John Barnes is well placed to empathise with Raheem Sterling. Just like Sterling today at Manchester City, 30 years ago Barnes was the star man spearheading a title charge with Liverpool. And just like Sterling today, in the late 80s Barnes endured racist taunts while playing. For that picture of Sterling being abused by Chelsea fans at Stamford Bridge last December, see Barnes, a fellow Jamaican-born Englishman, back-heeling a banana skin off the pitch when Liverpool played at Everton in 1988. Like Raheem Sterling, John Barnes endured racist abuse in his playing days 30 years ago Sterling was abused by Chelsea fans playing for Manchester City last December Sterling responded to taunts in Montenegro last week by suggesting they have a stadium ban Their shared experiences unite them but Barnes believes Sterling has a platform for change he could never have imagined in the 80s. Sterling, Barnes says, is one of society's most influential figures. 'He is,' Barnes tells Sportsmail. 'I would like to have a conversation with Raheem. 'Back in my day if we felt the same way as Raheem, we weren't allowed to express it. Back then you would be told if you spoke out against the discrimination you were getting, you had a chip on your shoulder so you had to keep your mouth shut. 'Of course now, times have changed. I wish I was around now (to) actually make a real difference in the fight against discrimination. Not just from a racial point of view but from a homophobic and sexist point of view. I think in that respect high profile sportsmen are extremely important.' In the aftermath of being subjected to racial taunts during England's 5-1 win over Montenegro last week, Sterling suggested stadium bans may have to be introduced, even in England, to try and combat discrimination. Barnes disagrees. For actual progress to emerge, he says education and empathy must be in place for those who abuse, no matter how close to home they are. 'I don't believe closing stadiums and walking off pitches is the answer. If you are going to put your head above the parapet and start talking about it, be truthful. 'If I am going to talk about racism in football when I played, I will tell you now that my Liverpool team-mates racially abused the opposition. Because everybody did. 'From my perspective, the answer is only through education and letting people know why it is wrong to be racist. Racism is ideology. You don't individualise racism. Discrimination is not individual, personalised hate. It is about the group. 'To make an actual difference, we have to empathise more. That is why I say racism is understandable. People say racism is wrong. Why? Because for hundreds of years, from a scientific and a social point of view there has been a lie told to people that morally and intellectually, a certain group are inferior. 'What those fans are actually saying is 'the group that I belong to is superior to the group that you belong to'. What they are saying is 'my group is superior to your group'. That is what discrimination is. Not individual, personalised hate. It is about the group. 'Regardless of if it is a successful black man, woman or homosexual, they can always be discriminated against by a very average heterosexual, white man because he belongs to a superior group. 'That is what we have to change. The perception of our group, white and male, being superior to other groups. That is not going to be changed by banning people, making the stadium empty.' Barnes doesn't believe stadium closures and banning fans help eradicate discrimination Barnes says he would like to meet with Sterling to discuss views on fighting discrimination Barnes makes a point during his appearance on the BBC's Question Time back in February Barnes has never shied away from addressing where he believes society's efforts to tackle discrimination are failing. His appearance on Question Time in February, where he defended Liam Neeson's admission of wanting to 'kill' a black person as a young man after someone close to him had been raped, was hailed by an Oxford professor, who wrote on Twitter: 'Westminster, I hope you are taking notes'. Yet Barnes would not accept a job in football governance from The FA or Kick It Out if he was offered one. 'I've been speaking to people at Kick it Out but I would not be getting involved in any organisation whereby the party line is going to be 'let's just ban people and close down stadiums'. 'From my understanding of these organisations, there has to be a party line, you have to be singing from the same hymn sheet. 'A lot of people think the answer is just to get more black people in jobs and positions of power. If that is the avenue people are going to go down, the only avenue people are going to go down, then I am not interested. 'To get rid of racism, sexism, it is not to get more superior, intelligent black people into power, it is to look at the average black man on the street. 'Not for Obama to be president, not for John Barnes to be a manager because you are changing the perception of a black individual, not the perception of what black is.' All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility