Jude Bellingham calls for stronger action to deal with racism: “It’s a horrible way for a player to prepare for a game knowing that they’re probably going to get racially abused. It’s disgusting. It shouldn’t happen. The people in power need to do more. No one deserves that kind of thing”
Tuesday 16 April 2024 20:10, UK
Jude Bellingham has demanded football’s authorities – particularly in Spain – do more to combat racism but admitted: “I doubt that will happen.”
The England midfielder’s call came after his Real Madrid team-mate Aurelien Tchouameni was racially abused by a Mallorca supporter after scoring last weekend.
It is the latest of a number of incidents in Spanish football, with another Real player in Vinicius Jr having been a regular victim of offensive chanting and gestures.
Bellingham, speaking to media ahead of Real’s Champions League tie with Manchester City on Wednesday, said: “I think in the games where we go away, in LaLiga especially, you almost get so used to it that I wasn’t even aware of the [Tchouameni] incident. I think that’s a massive problem in itself.
“More has got to be done, whether it’s the punishment and how you react to it or how you move proactively to [stop] this kind of thing.
“I think it’s a horrible way for a player to prepare for a game, knowing that they’re probably going to get racially abused. It’s disgusting. It shouldn’t happen.
“The people in power need to do more. No one deserves that kind of thing.
“It’s definitely a call-out for the people who are in charge to take control. I doubt that will happen.
“It’s going to be something that I imagine we will still have to just deal with going into games. You have just got to play your game and hope that the people look after you, and they’re not doing it well enough at the moment.”
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Vinicius broke down in tears at a press conference as he discussed his experiences of racism ahead of Brazil’s recent friendly against Spain in Madrid.
Bellingham expressed sympathy for his colleague.
He said: “I think the blame gets shifted more onto him because of maybe his playing style and the way he likes to express himself and I don’t think that’s fair.
“The game would miss players like Vini if he decided to take a break because of this thing. More needs to be done to support these players.”
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