The abuse of Raheem Sterling and antisemitic chanting by Chelsea fans are indicative of a wider picture of unacceptable intolerance, as our continent-wide survey reveals
Belgium continues to have significant problems with racism, not confined to football. In February, the Charleroi defender Francis N’Ganga was abused at Club Brugge, and the Standard Liège winger Paul-José M’Poku complained of abuse in successive games at Lokeren and Brugge the same week. “This is unacceptable,” the Belgian FA chairman, Gérard Linard, said. “We are going to sit down with the Pro League to find solutions that work for everyone and tackle the real problem.” In May, 29 people were arrested after fighting broke out following a derby between Antwerp and Beerschot-Wilrijk that featured racist and antisemitic banners and chants, and last month several Standard Liège players, including M’Poku, were racially abused by fans of Kortrijk, the club escaping sanction on a technicality. In September, the Mechelen assistant coach, Frederik Vanderbiest, was banned for three matches and fined €1,500 for racially abusing the Union assistant coach, Abder Ramdane, during a First Division B match. Simon Burnton
Written by Observer Sport
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/dec/16/racism-on-the-rise-across-europe-football-raheem-sterling-chelsea under the title “The ugly spectre of racism in football on the rise across Europe”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
