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Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek has added his voice to the chorus of support for Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling after the latter spoke out against racist abuse by fans and covert racism in the English football media last week.
Television cameras showed Sterling receiving a volley of abuse from four Chelsea fans as he went to take a corner in City’s 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea moved quickly to suspend the fans and it was reported today that those suspensions might remain even if the four fans’ conduct does not reach the level necessary for a police prosecution.
According to the London Evening Standard, the West London club have passed on the names of all four men to the police who will employ lip readers to try to determine exactly what was said, and whether racism was a factor in the abuse.
Meanwhile Chelsea player Loftus-Cheek spoke up for Sterling who he has played alongside at England level
“I think he was right to say what he said.
“I don’t think [racism]should be in the game or anywhere, so him speaking [out]was the right thing to do. If it happened to me, I’d do the same thing.Ruben Loftus-Cheek
“I think we’ve made some steps [since the 1980s], but it obviously still goes on today. From Chelsea’s point of view, I know there’s an investigation going on and I know they [will]take the hardest response if it is racial abuse.”
Earlier in the week, he had also commented:
“If it happened to me, I’d do the same thing.”
Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Chelsea meanwhile are giving the impression that they have just about had enough of neanderthal fans dragging their club into the gutter.
Manager Maurizio Sarri told the media earlier this week:
“It was disgusting. I want to say that I condemn any form of discrimination, of course. I think that I have to stop here. Because there is an investigation so I think it’s better not to say something more. Of course my opinion is that I condemn every sort of discrimination.
Maurizio Sarri
The club already run a scheme to fly any fans who want to know more about the Holocaust to Auschwitz. Anti-semitic chants are sadly feature of many clubs’ games against Tottenham Hotspur, but the strength of the rivalry between the two clubs intensifies it when the two clubs meet.
