Last Sunday, Levante's Papakouli Diop became the latest player to complain of racist abuse in a Spanish football stadium. The Senegalese claimed he was subjected to racist chants during Levante's win over Atletico Madrid. He responded by dancing in front of his alleged abusers. 
The incident comes just one week after Barcelona's Dani Alves ate a banana that was thrown at him during a match against Villarreal. 
Alves' gesture sparked a wave of support on social media. His Brazil and Barcelona teammate Neymar posted a picture of himself eating a banana accompanied by the hashtag #weareallmonkeys. 
Ghana midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng was subjected to racist abuse while playing for AC Milan in a January 2013 friendly against lower league Pro Patria. He reacted by walking off the pitch, earning support from across the world. 
The incident led to world football's governing body FIFA introducing a raft of new anti-racism sanctions. After the incident involving Alves, FIFA president Sepp Blatter tweeted: "What Dani Alves tolerated last night is an outrage. We must fight all forms of discrimination united. Will be zero tolerance at World Cup." - John Barnes says football must change its approach to tackling racism
- The former Liverpool great had a banana thrown at him during a match in 1987
- Barcelona's Dani Alves was subjected to similar abuse recently against Villarreal
- Barnes says football must focus on education rather than sanctions
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(CNN) -- "You can be as racist as you want, as long as you keep your mouth shut," says John Barnes.
The former Liverpool great should know.
The Jamaican-born England international was subjected to racist abuse including an infamous incident 27 years ago when a fan threw a banana at him during a Merseyside derby between Liverpool and rivals Everton.
Barnes kicked the piece of fruit away. Fast forward to 2014 and Barcelona's Dani Alves was similarly taunted, though the Brazilian picked up and ate the banana that had been hurled at him by a Villarreal supporter.
According to Barnes, the fact that bananas are still been throwing at games shows football's approach to tackling discrimination is befuddled.
"The way we're trying to deal with it, in terms of getting rid of it, is wrong," Barnes, who played for England between 1983 and 1995, told CNN at a promotional event for YO! Sushi aimed at encouraging fans to back Japan at the 2014 World Cup.
"Only through education and making people know why it's wrong to do it.
"Just by saying to people 'You're not allowed to do it' without telling them why, explaining to them why... Or fining them when they do it, so they just keep their mouth shut is not getting rid of it.
"Do we want to get rid of racism? Or do we want just not to hear it? What football is saying, by fining and banning people, is 'You can be as racist as you want, but as long as you keep your mouth shut it's fine.'
Soccer star's reaction to tossed banana Dani Alves has been applauded for his response to being racially abused during a football match. The Barcelona player had a banana thrown at him during Sunday's game at Villarreal, so he picked it up and took a bite out of it before continuing to play. 
Alves' Barcelona and Brazil teammate Neymar was full of praise for his actions. Neymar tweeted: "Dani Alves owned him. Take that bunch of racists. We are all monkeys so what." 
AC Milan's Kevin-Prince Boateng suffered abuse from fans friendly match against Pro Patria in January 3, 2013. Boateng stormed off the pitch after being subjected to racist chants. Dani Alves bites back "That's not what I'm interested in."
Read: Is racism endemic in Spanish football?
One week after Alves was abused, Levante's Senegalese player Papakouli Diop claimed he heard monkey chants from Atletico Madrid supporters.
His response was to dance in front of his alleged abusers but, while he fully support Alves' actions, Barnes questioned Diop's reaction.
"I think Alves showed disdain, he showed disregard," he added. "He showed that if you're being bullied and the bullies aren't effecting you, they will stop bullying you.
"If you react to it, they will continue to do it. From a playing perspective, I think that's the right way to respond."
While praising Villarreal for acting swiftly to ban the fan who threw the banana at Alves, Barnes warned that football might be fighting a losing battle in trying to eradicate racist abuse.
English football has spent decades battling the scourge of racism. England manager Roy Hodgson (right) apologized after referring to Andros Townsend (left) as "the monkey" while telling an old NASA joke during a halftime team talk last year. In defense of his manager, Townsend tweeted: "I don't know what all this fuss is about....No offense was meant and none was taken! It's not even news worthy." 
Garth Crooks is a former England under-21 international who went on to become the first black chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association. Crooks is now a trustee of "Kick It Out," a body dedicated to ridding football of discrimination. 
Former England and Liverpool striker Stan Collymore has been racially abused on Twitter on numerous occasions. 
England internationals Ashley Young (pictured) and Ashley Cole were both racially abused on Twitter after missing penalties in the national team's loss to Italy at Euro 2012. 
Reading striker Jason Roberts refused to wear a Kick It Out T-shirt ahead of an English Premier League match in 2012 as part of a protest against perceived inactivity in the fight against racism. 
Former France striker Nicolas Anelka was handed a five-match ban by the English FA for making a "quenelle" gesture after scoring for West Brom against West Ham in December 2013. The gesture is believed by some to be a Nazi salute in reverse and has been linked with anti-Semitism in Anelka's homeland. Is England winning racism battle? 
Dani Alves responded by picking up a banana and eating it after finding himself the target of racial abuse during Barcelona's 3-2 win at Villarreal Sunday. 
An Everton fan threw a banana at Liverpool's John Barnes in 1988, with the England international forced to kick it off the pitch. Alves' Barcelona teammate Neymar started a social network campaign in support of his compatriot, which has been backed by a number of high-profile footballers. 
Brazil legend Pele believes the Alves incident is an isolated one. "I think if you mention that, it is ridiculous, as you have one case, and all over the world they play soccer, and you have one case," he told CNN. 
Football's fight against racism "These aren't football's problems. Until we get rid of it in society, we won't get rid of it in football," added Barnes, who memorably scored a remarkable solo goal in the Maracana stadium against Brazil in a 1-0 friendly win for England in June 1984.
"From an institutional perspective, yes you ban the fan, as the club did, if you've got to close stadiums, fine players or take points off clubs, that's what you do."
Football's world governing body FIFA introduced a series of punishments after a number of high-profile racism cases in 2013.
The punishments for a first offense is a warning, fine or the club in question being forced to play games in empty stadiums.
A second offense, or one deemed "serious," could result in demotion, a deduction of points or expulsion from a tournament.
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