Published 09:14 IST, December 23rd 2019
Antonio Rudiger calls for action over 'racist abuse', says 'shame that racism exists'
Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger tweeted that he received a lot of support from Spurs fans & said the discussion around racism should not stop & be forgotten
Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger expressed his disappointment over the alleged racist incident that took place during Sunday's match against Tottenham Hotspurs. In a series of tweets, the German international said that there needs to be a detailed discussion on the subject so that it is not forgotten in a few days. He also said that he hoped that with all the security arrangements such as security guards and CCTVs, the offenders are nabbed and strict action is taken against them.
Investigations ongoing
During the second half of the match, Rudiger pointed out to the referee and claimed that he had heard 'monkey chants' directed towards him. As per protocol, the referee paused the match and informed both the managers and made an announcement, "Ladies and gentleman, this is a security announcement Racism is interfering with the game,” took place over the stadium speakers. The announcement was repeated twice and then the match continued.
Chelsea Head coach Frank Lampard, in his post-match press conference, said that he had spoken to his defender in detail, but highlighted that he and the club will stand by the team members.
Spurs released a statement saying they are conducting an investigation which will include cooperation with Chelsea and it's players. The club also said that it does not accept any kind of racist behaviour within the club or from amongst the fans and that strong action will be taken to ant person found of behaving in a certain manner.
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) has called for a government level inquiry into the incident. The statement read "We believe that the time has come for all governing bodies to unite collectively to end this abuse. The PFA calls for a government enquiry into racism and the rise in hate crime within football and immediate and urgent action from an All-Party Group at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to address this urgent issue. All football stakeholders must work in partnership with police and clubs to drive this issue and accelerate solutions."
Updated 10:42 IST, December 23rd 2019