Hibs player Marvin Bartley has said it is "massively disappointing" to see racism rearing its head again in 2019.

The English midfielder was allegedly racially abused during the Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle earlier this month, leading to the arrests of two men.

A number of other similar incidents have been reported at football matches in the UK and overseas in recent times.

Speaking to STV News, the 32-year-old said any player who has racist abuse directed at them from the stands should walk off and force the authorities to take action.

He said: "It is massively disappointing. It's 2019 and the problem seems to be rearing its head again, which is obviously extremely unfortunate.

"I have only had a couple (of personal experiences of racism in football), not that that's a good thing as it is still a couple too many for me.

"I definitely think players should walk off if they are racially abused from the stands.

"I think it has got to the point where you have to do that, because then it stops the game and the FA or the SFA will have a problem with it because the game then isn't completed.

"I think they will then come down tougher on teams and the people that are doing it.

"It's not something I have noticed a lot of in Scotland, people have been great with me since I have been here.

"You get the banter from opposition fans but nothing racial other than the two incidents I have spoken about.

"But the support I have had has been second to none and I thank the people of Scotland, and the people who support teams from all over the world, who have messaged me - it means a lot."

For Bartley, it is not only a football problem but a societal one that the Reading-born player has experienced throughout his whole life.

He said: "Unfortunately I have also experienced it a couple of times away from football as well, not in Scotland though, it was actually back where I am from.

"It's a weird one because when people find out what you do for a living, all of a sudden their attitude towards you changes.

"That, for me, that shows it is probably a stereotypical thing rather than a personal thing.

"Maybe someone has had a problem with a black guy previously and they think I am going to be exactly the same, which is also disappointing, but it is definitely not a Scottish thing as away from football I have had it more in England than I have in Scotland."

Bartley, who has spent four years in Edinburgh after signing from Leyton Orient in 2015, has deleted his social media accounts due to a constant onslaught from anonymous trolls.

And he is now calling for companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to take stronger action in stamping it out.

He said: "As footballers now, people can get to us a lot easier, through social media someone at the other end of the world could message me and be abusive and then suddenly disappear.

"Ten or 15 years ago you couldn't really get to a footballer, you would have to shout it from the terraces or see them on the street, but now with social media it's so easy for anyone to do.

"And that is why I have taken a step back from social media.

"I think as companies Twitter, Facebook and Instagram need to do something about it and it needs to be a lot easier to trace where these people actually are."