In statements to The Players Tribune, Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger recalled some less good episodes he experienced in the football world, namely cases of racism experienced in Rome, as a Lazio player, but not only.
“They called me constantly black. They also shouted: Bring it to the c * and take the opportunity to eat a banana. Every time I touched the ball they made monkey noises. It wasn’t a few people who did it, but a lot of Lazio fans in the 2017 derby. It wasn’t the first racist abuse I suffered, but it was the worst. It was pure hatred. You recognize them when you look them in the eye. At that moment, I did not react, I did not leave the field. I didn’t want to give them that kind of power. But inside, no matter how strong you are, if you are a heart-pounding human being, you are forever marked by it. When something like this happens, how does the football world react? People say: Ahhh, this is terrible. Clubs and players publish a little message on Facebook: Stop racism! ”.
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“There is an investigation, but nothing is happening. Every once in a while there’s a social media campaign, everyone’s backing you up and then it all goes back to normal. In fact, nothing changes. Tell me, why have the press, supporters and players come together to stop the Super League in 48 hours, but when there are obvious racist slurs in a stadium or on social media, is it always complicated? to find solutions? Maybe because the problem is much deeper ”, Rudiger said.
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