BEADECENT HUMANBEING

THANKS FANS Furuhashi puts message on social media into the footage. Gaffer Postecoglou has spoken out on the episode and offered full backing to the 26-year-old.

He told Celtic TV: “It saddens me a lot because I’m the one who has brought him over.

“I spent three-and-ahalf years in Japan and I was a foreigner and I was welcomed with open arms over there. I know how polite and respectful the Japanese people were.

“I’m sure his experience is the extreme opposite of what’s been portrayed in the last 48 hours.

“I’ve been talking to him and he loves being here, he loves the city, he loves the way everyone’s embraced him.

“But it’s not about education and people are more than aware of what’s right and wrong – just be a decent human being and treat people with respect.

“I’ve been lucky enough to walk around Glasgow with my family and you see all the different nationalities and it’s obvious that people have come from all over the world to make this city a great city.

“I love that – that’s kind of my background. I’m an immigrant and to hear that, even if it is a minority, it shouldn’t be there and it does sadden me. Our No.1 priority is to protect and support the player.

“He’s a cracking guy. He’s such a nice young man and he doesn’t deserve any of that type of behaviour – no one does to be honest.”

Furuhashi posted an “I’ll never walk alone” message on social media, thanking the fans and club for backing him over the disgusting incident.

The Japanese striker has been an instant success his Celtic since his £4.5million moves from Vissel Kobe last month scoring six goals in seven games.

Postecoglou added: “That’s the beauty of football. When you walk around Celtic Park you’ll see images, whether that’s Nakamura or Henrik Larsson, or whoever it is, and when you start bringing people from outside your own space, whether that’s your nation or even your neighbourhood, that’s when it enriches it. It enriches people’s lives.

“That’s why people leave their homes and come halfway across the world because they’re good at something, but it actually enriches the place that you go to.

“I’ve always loved that about football – I always thought it was a unifier because it didn’t matter where you were from, what economic status you might have or what your background was, you could play this game and it brought people together.

“And having Kyogo here, or Liel Abada here – young men who I think put smiles on people’s faces – I don’t see how people try and make a negative out of that.”