Two weeks after Indian student Anuj Bidve was shot dead in a Manchester suburb, the verbal abuse of a black soccer player has served as an unpleasant reminder of the racism that rears its head from time to time in British society.

The fresh case of racial prejudice surfaced during a football match a few days ago and the victim was a player of Nigerian ethnic origin.

Tom Adeyemi was brought to tears after spectators at the FA cup third round match between Oldham and Liverpool hurled “f**king black bastard” abuses at the 20-year-old, who recently turned down a prized place at Cambridge University to pursue a sports career.

The academically gifted defender, whose parents are originally from Nigeria and who plays for Oldham Athletic Football Club, was on the losing side in the match when opposition fans turned nasty. The police is now investigating whether anyone can be charged with a race crime.

One witness has been quoted as saying how he distinctly heard offensive words coming from the crowd that shouted the racist abuse at Adyemi, who was visibly shocked as teammates tried to reassure him.

The Liverpool Football Club is already under the spotlight for all wrong reasons. It is reeling under the suspension of one of its star players, Uruguayan striker, Luis Suarez, who was found guilty of making racially offensive comments against a player on the field.

The current unpleasant exchange is the third of its kind in just three months. The most high profile is the impending trial of England’s captain, John Terry, who has been charged with making racially derogatory comments during a match.

Football, England’s national game, is taken as seriously and passionately as cricket in India and footballers are treated like demi-gods. Anything controversial about the game makes headlines.

What happened in Liverpool has once again raised concern over the level of racism in sports. Members of the British Parliament’s All Party Football group say they want an inquiry into the progress made in removing racism from football. British MP Ian Lucas said there has been an “absolutely extraordinary transformation among fans and within clubs”. But he was quick to add: “Parliament needs to take a lead in tackling the issues.”