Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior has slammed racism in football and society. He has demanded severe punishment for people found guilty of making racist comments or gestures.
Rosenior’s comments come in the wake of Vinicius Jr.’s allegations of racism against Gianluca Prestianni on Tuesday. During Real Madrid’s clash at Benfica in the UEFA Champions League playoffs first leg, the winger scored in the 50th minute. He was then booked for allegedly provoking the fans, before he accused Prestianni of making racist comments.
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In a press conference on Friday, Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior was asked about the general issue of racism in football, and he answered (h/t Sky Sports):
“It’s upsetting. There’s context that needs to be had in terms of this situation. What I will say, any form of racism in society is unacceptable. I cannot speak about an incident where an investigation is ongoing. What I would say it when you see a player upset how Vinícius Júnior was upset, normally they’re upset for a reason. I’ve been racially abused myself.
“What people have to understand is when you are judged for something you should be proud of, it is the worst feeling you can ever possibly imagine. There are historical things to racism. I need to, as manager of this club, make my statement on it. If any coach, player or manager is ever found guilty of racism, they shouldn’t be in the game. It’s as simple as that for me,” he added.
The Chelsea head coach added that he has also been racially abused in the past and asserted that the guilty people should be severely punished.
Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior opens up on what needs to change in society against racism
Liam Rosenior was further asked what he believed needed to be changed in terms of punishing racists. He explained that it is a complex situation and that changes need to be brought about in society, and not just football.
The Chelsea boss said:
“There are a lot of things need to change in our society. I’m not talking about football. There’s a lot of division. There’s a lot of people in the media make prejudgements on people based on sexual orientation, what country they come from, what religion they are, what colour skin they have.”
“It sickens me, to be honest. It’s a wider debate than just football. People need to be held a lot more accountable than they are in terms of social media, in terms of the press, to make sure these things are stamped out. Everybody should be judged equally based on the content of their character,” he added.
Meanwhile, former Chelsea and current Benfica boss Jose Mourinho appeared to claim Vinicius provoked the fans and players during the game. He also dismissed racism accusations, claiming that Benfica had a black legend like Eusebio.
Edited by Aditya Singh