Football racism: Outrage as Spurs fans warned three times over 'racist abuse'

Football Stories
60 followers
This is the moment Antonio Rudiger claimed he was being subjected to racist chants halfway
through the match. It came after he was informed by Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta that Blues
defender Antonio Rudiger was being subjected to racist abuse. In an unprecedented move,
game officials on the UEFA's new three-step protocol issued three stadium warnings to supporters.
The announcement came after referee Anthony Taylor implemented a procedure initially formed by FIFA
to deal with discrimination. The alleged abuse came after Rudiger was kicked in the chest by
Tottenham forward Son Heung-min who was sent off as a result. This latest incident has once again
shown the ugly side of football. It follows the recent Manchester derby match which saw fans
apparently making racist gestures towards United players. In October, England's black players faced
Nazi salutes and abusive chants from fans in Bulgaria. Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho
says it was right for officials to follow protocol. We are one of the clubs,
we are one of the clubs but every club is together on this situation and of course we are disappointed
but the protocols were followed. The club has also reiterated that view in a statement saying
We are now conducting a thorough investigation which will include liaising with Chelsea and their
players for their observations. Any form of racism is completely unacceptable and will not be
tolerated in our stadium. We take any such allegations extremely seriously and shall take
the strongest possible action against any individual found to be behaving in such a way,
including stadium bans. There is growing pressure on football's governing bodies
with some players demanding urgent action. I just don't think it's enough. I just don't
think it's enough and is it going to stop? I've always said that's why I praise Raheem for when
he came out and stood up and being brave enough to do it because I couldn't do it because I was like
no one cares, no one's going to listen. The professional footballers association says it
is now time for action. They're calling for a government inquiry into racism and hate speech
within football. Noel Phillips, Sky News.
