Young footballers are an integral part of the players’ arrival on the pitch. It was no different in the weekend Premier League match between Chelsea and Burnley. In addition to another loss of the home giant, however, the moment that preceded the actual measurement of forces on the lawn is primarily addressed.
A short video of Gallagher coming to the front of the line and greeting young hopefuls began to circulate on social networks. While he slapped one of the boys, according to the fans, he only repelled the other with a gentle caress and a negative expression. And since each boy was of a different skin color, a whirlwind of abuse began. Opinions were not influenced by other shots, when the 24-year-old captain brings his team to the game and holds both boys equally by the shoulders.
“Bad behavior, disgusting. How can the captain of a Premier League team do such a thing,” read one of the comments. “Terrible, willful ignorance. I want an apology and an explanation,” demanded one of the fans.
He got it on Wednesday. “We are aware that there is a video circulating on social media that has been taken out of context. The subsequent insults and derogatory comments directed at Conor Gallagher are completely unacceptable. We pride ourselves on being a diverse and inclusive club where people of all cultures, communities and identities feel welcome,” Chelsea wrote in a short statement.
“I am saddened by what is happening. Conor is a great guy. You focus on many things before a match and something like this can happen. I know Conor well and it was never his intention to ignore the entourage,” coach Mauricio Pochettino is clear.
The events surrounding Gallagher deviate a bit from the cases of racism that world football has dealt with in recent years. Most often, these are insults by supporters towards the footballers themselves. In stadiums and through social networks.
The breakthrough is the case of March 2023. Twenty-four-year-old Antonio Neill was applied by the English judiciary as the first of the new law from 2022. For racist insults towards the Brentford striker Ivan Toney, he received a four-month suspended sentence for two years, and in addition, he will not look at the highest level of English football for three years competitions.
“If you choose to be mean to others, you won’t get away with it. You don’t hide behind a computer monitor or phone screen. Not really,” Commissioner Kim McGuinness said after the verdict. “Ivan has regularly been the target of racist abuse and we want tough action to be taken against anyone who commits such things,” Brentford said.
Of course, the Gallagher case is very different in many ways. Were the various greetings targeted, or are they really misunderstandings and images taken out of context? Probably what a person, that opinion.
