Antonio Rudiger called for racist fans to ‘get some basic education’ after he was allegedly racially abused during Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
What should have been a day of celebration for Frank Lampard’s side, where Willian scored both goals in a vital away victory, was marred by an incident in the second half, with referee Anthony Taylor stopping the game to report the issue.
Taylor informed both Lampard and Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho what had taken place, while a message was read out over the stadium tannoy saying, ‘racist behaviour is interfering with the game’, in what was a hugely disappointing moment.
Rüdiger being racially abused, no surprise there pic.twitter.com/290AtEWh32
— J (@KanteleIe) December 22, 2019
Rudiger took to social media to praise his team-mates for their efforts during the win while calling out the abusers for their lack of education.
He posted on Twitter: ‘Biiiiiiig Wiiin! ??????? #NoToRacism #PleaseGetSomeBasicEducation #AlwaysBelieve #Hustle #cleansheet.’
His manager Lampard said after the match: ‘I don’t know if it is getting better or worse or not.
‘We are much more aware that we have a protocol to report it, which is a positive step. Of course, in a perfect world that protocol isn’t needed. If it is fact and true and it happened, then it needs to be dealt with and the punishment needs to be strong.’
Spurs boss Mourinho added: ‘It’s something that upsets me.
I hate racism in society, hate racism in football. I am disappointed that things like that still can happen. But the referee stopped the game, spoke with the players, spoke with the captains, spoke with the coaches.
‘I was losing, I don’t want the game to be stopped. But immediately when I knew the reason why the game was stopped, I obviously understood and accepted it. I think the club is a very proud club in this kind of situation and the club also internally will try to deal with it.’
Biiiiiiig Wiiin! ??????? #NoToRacism #PleaseGetSomeBasicEducation #AlwaysBelieve #Hustle #cleansheet @ChelseaFC pic.twitter.com/jootvSITzZ
— Antonio Rüdiger (@ToniRuediger) December 22, 2019
Tottenham Hotspur issued a statement vowing to take the strongest possible action against any offenders.
‘We are now conducting a thorough investigation which will include liaising with Chelsea and their players for their observations,’ the statement read.
‘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.’
The Professional Footballers’ Association, meanwhile, called for a government enquiry into the matter.
A statement read: ‘Following the events at today’s Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea game, we are disgusted and dismayed that once again, a Premier League fixture has been tainted by abuse from the stands towards players.
‘Racism has no place in football or society. It is deeply disappointing that some fans continue to display vulgar racist gestures and chants from the stands.
‘It has become clear that football players are on the receiving end of the blatant racism that is currently rife in the UK, but they are not alone. The PFA stands beside every player who faces discrimination. We will continue to fight on their behalf to combat this issue for good.
‘Football is part of the fabric of British society. With the huge global audience that English football attracts, we have a responsibility to lead the way with a zero-tolerance policy. Racist abuse in football is not just an issue for black and ethnic minority players, it is an issue for everyone who loves the game.
‘Whilst the protocols in place ensured stadium announcements were executed today, we need to ensure the perpetrators are identified and dealt with according to the law. 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.’
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