“The problem is much larger”: Tottenham fans condemned in England for racist insults against Rudiger

World football is actively fighting racism and other forms of discrimination, but scandals continue to occur at stadiums in many countries. This problem is especially acute in the UK. So, the match of the 18th round of the English Premier League (Premier League), in which Tottenham hosted Chelsea, was marked by the mixed behavior of the hosts' fans.

At the 61st minute of the meeting, when the guests were already 2-0, there was a skirmish on the field between striker Son Heung Min and defender Antonio Rudiger. In the fight for the ball, the Tottenham footballer fell on the lawn and kicked the opponent’s body. The chief referee Anthony Taylor, after watching the video replay, concluded that there was a go-ahead from the Korean side and showed him a red card. This decision outraged the hosts' fans, who considered that it was a simulation. They booed a black German, and foreign objects flew towards the gates of Kepa Arrisabalagi.

However, they did not stop there and began to grin and portray monkeys, alluding to Rudiger's skin color. Chelsea captain Cesar Aspilicueta was one of the first to draw attention to this and asked Taylor to take matters into his own hands. Then the match was interrupted for several minutes, and the host at the stadium called on the tribune three times to refrain from insulting on the basis of racism.

The defender expressed bewilderment about what happened. At the same time, he did not blame all the fans of the “spurs,” since, according to him, only “a couple of idiots” were to blame for the incident. In addition, the football player thanked for the support of all those who care, among whom there were many fans of the opponent.

“I really hope that the violators will soon be found and punished. At a modern stadium such as Tottenham Hotspur, this should be facilitated by the presence of dozens of cameras and video surveillance cameras. Or there must be witnesses who saw and heard what happened. Shame that racism still exists in 2019. When will this stupidity stop? ”Rudiger wrote on Twitter.

I don't want to involve Tottenham as an entire club into this situation as I know that just a couple of idiots were the offenders. I got a lot of supportive messages on social media from Spurs fans as well in the last hours - thank you a lot for this. (2/4)

In turn, the leadership of Tottenham promised to take all necessary measures to punish the perpetrators.

“At the moment we are conducting a thorough investigation, during which we will hear the testimony of Chelsea and its players. Racism in any form is categorically unacceptable, and it will not be tolerated at our stadium. We take such accusations very seriously, and the strictest measures will be taken against any person found guilty of this, including a ban on visiting the stadium, ”the statement on the Spurs official website said.

“The submarine should take a step forward”

After the final whistle, the events of the match receded into the background. Despite disagreeing with the referee's decision to remove Son, Tottenham head coach Jose Mourinho admitted that he was very upset by such incidents.

“I hate racism in society, I hate racism in football. I am disappointed that this is still happening. The referee stopped the game, started talking with football players, with team captains, with coaches. I lost and did not want the match to be interrupted. But finding out the reason, of course, he admitted that it was necessary, ”Mourinho quoted The Guardian as saying.

His counterpart Frank Lampard also called for punishing fans who allowed themselves racist cries.

“I don’t know if the situation is changing - and if so, in which direction. There is a much greater understanding that there is a protocol for reporting such manifestations, and that’s good. Of course, in an ideal world, such a protocol would not be needed, ”said the coach.

In addition, Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen, former England footballer Ashley Cole, who was also attacked by fans, Everton coach Carlo Ancelotti and many others spoke in support of Rudiger.

Some experts said it was necessary to move from words to actions and take decisive measures to combat racism in stadiums. For example, representatives of the Professional Football Association (PFA) called on the authorities to pay attention to this problem, and former Manchester United defender Gary Neville suggested introducing a rule that allows players who have been racist to insult, leave the field with impunity.

“The Premier League should take a step forward, but it is hiding behind the back of the football association. What we saw today, it would seem, relates to a specific person, but the problem is much larger, and something needs to be done quickly. Probably, you need to give players the opportunity to leave the field and stop the game. In my opinion, only this can make a difference, ”Neville quotes Sky Sports.