JOSE: FANS MUST EXPOSE RACISTS
JOSE MOURINHO ON HOW TO TACKLE RACISM HEAD-ON
JOSE MOURINHO has urged Tottenham fans to expose the racists who are tarnishing the club’s image.
Mourinho was speaking as Spurs continued their investigation into Antonio Rudiger’s allegation that monkey gestures were directed at him during Sunday’s 2-0 defeat to Chelsea.
Referee Anthony Taylor interviewed both Blues defender Rudiger and captain Cesar Azpilicueta after the match, while Spurs have been scouring CCTV footage since then in a bid to find the offenders.
It comes just over a year after one of Spurs’ fans threw a banana skin at the Arsenal striker PierreEmerick Aubameyang during the north London derby.
Tottenham expect to complete their current investigation swiftly but, in the meantime, Mourinho has called on fans to be vigilant to ensure there are no further breaches.
Speaking ahead of the Boxing Day game against Brighton, the Spurs boss said: “For me, if I have to say something it is to ask my supporters, the Tottenham supporters, to keep doing exactly the same that they are doing with the team, which is supporting the team in a season that has not been easy at all – since the beginning of the season it has been difficult.
“To ask them to be exactly the same and obviously to look to the guy to the left and look to the guy to the right.
“And listen to the guy behind and listen to the guy in front, and if anyone has any little manifestation, to try and get in there in between them to kill it immediately. That’s the only thing I can ask for.”
Sunday’s game was stopped by Taylor and three announcements were made over the public address system in line with UEFA’s three-step protocol.
Mourinho insisted football’s fight against racism should be driven by authorities more powerful than football clubs.
He added: “Society needs help. Then football is a micro-society. Do we need help? Yes, but society needs help.
“We need to eradicate any form of discrimination. In this case we are speaking about racism, and yes football needs help, but society needs help.
“It is happening before. And what I fear is that it is going to happen again in the future. That’s the problem.
“What I see is an evolution in the protocol. And I think that’s fine, I think in this moment any person including the players, they have according to the protocol the freedom to stop, the freedom to go to the referee, the freedom to go to their managers. This is one step.
“Any decision that can be made by superior authorities I will support.”