Klopp: Raheem Sterling's reaction to Chelsea fans' abuse was 'brilliant’

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Manchester City star Raheem Sterling has been praised for the manner in which he has acquitted himself in the face of alleged racial abuse that has led Chelsea to suspend four supporters pending an investigation. 

The England international appeared to be the target of racial abuse from several Chelsea supporters as he collected the ball for a Man City corner during Saturday’s game.

How is the alleged abuse of Raheem Sterling being dealt with? Five things to know:

  1. Sterling did not engage with the four Chelsea fans filmed shouting at him and could be seen laughing as he picked up the ball.
  2. The next morning, Sterling said in a statement on Instagram he “had to laugh” at them but also claimed newspapers were helping to “fuel racism” in football.
  3. The FA and Metropolitan Police issued statements to confirm they are investigating Saturday’s incident.
  4. Sterling was praised for reacting “brilliantly” by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who called for severe punishments.
  5. And Chelsea have now suspended four fans from attending matches pending investigations of racial abuse.

Chelsea say they are “fully supporting” the police investigation into the incident at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. The west London club explained they “will also fully support any criminal prosecutions,” while adding: “Chelsea Football Club finds all forms of discriminatory behaviour abhorrent.”

In response, Man City said: “The club and Raheem are fully engaged with Chelsea FC and the investigating authorities as they continue to examine the events in question.

“Manchester City and Raheem are committed to working with all relevant parties and organisations to support the objective of eradicating racism from the game.”

Elsewhere, speaking to reporters ahead of Liverpool’s crucial Champions League tie with Napoli this week, Klopp provided a detailed response when asked for his thoughts on the incident.

“I watched the game and I think I saw the situation when he went for the corner and I saw a few guys shouting,” Klopp told a press conference on Monday.

“I didn’t hear, I’m not sure if it was possible to hear what they shouted, but I already thought his reaction was just brilliant.

“You saw his face. He gave the right response, not to react for these people. They don’t deserve any reaction, they don’t deserve any respect.

“I am obviously not surprised that things like this still happen but I like the fact that we put the finger on it and say ‘You cannot say what you want, it is not possible’.”

It would not be the first time Sterling has been a victim of racial abuse. Nearly exactly one year ago, as reported by the Telegraph, he was verbally and physically assaulted by a 29-year-old man as he arrived at Man City’s training ground.

Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright has also previously argued that the level of criticism Sterling receives is fuelled by “a certain amount of racism” while the PFA issued a statement on Sunday saying the “targeting” City’s No.7 faces in the press “emboldens racist rhetoric.”

Meanwhile, anti-racism campaigners Kick it Out criticised the lack of immediate comment from Premier League, FA and Chelsea chiefs as frustrations mount over the efforts made by football’s governing bodies in tackling discrimination within the sport. Some, however, are doubtful as to whether said tensions will amount to significant change, such as former Nottingham Forest and Liverpool forward Stan Collymore, who called has for greater BAME representation within the media.

“Embarrassing for football in England”

England youth international Rhian Brewster received immense praise for his decision to try to challenge racial abuse in a game last season.

The 18-year-old has spoken out about racism in football on a number of occasions already and criticised Fifa’s reluctance to do anything about it in an interview last December.

Appearing also to refer to another recent instance of racism in England, during Arsenal 4-2 Tottenham last Sunday where a banana skin was thrown at striker Pierre-Emerick Aubmeyang, Brewster wrote: “Another day another racist incident. Embarrassing for it be happening twice in two weeks in England. Just when you thought things had changed for the better… [Let’s kick racism out of football].”

Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra, who the FA found to have been racially abused by Luis Suarez while the forward played for Liverpool in 2011, also expressed his outrage over Saturday’s events: “I saw what happened with [Sterling] yesterday… How does this happen still in 2018?! It doesn’t matter what colour your skin is or your religion or what country you are from we need to be kind to each other. Love is so much more powerful than hate. “

Klopp, in his press conference on Friday, went on to highlight instances of racism across Europe: “We had situations in Germany and other countries, Italy with Boateng when he stopped the game because of the things people shouted from the stands.

“They need to be punished. As long as people are silly enough to do this, they need to be punished for it, that is how it is.

“I am sure 95 per cent of people or more are not like this so we should try to find the right amount of attention for these people.

“Yes, punish them but do not talk too much about them because they do not deserve that we talk about them.”

Sterling will next play in Man City’s midweek Champions League game against Hoffenheim, though he is likely to be rested with the Premier League champions confirmed to have topped their group.

The post Man City forward Raheem Sterling draws praise as Chelsea ban his alleged abusers appeared first on Squawka News.



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