Celtic star recalls racist abuse at under-11 event
● Man City youth squad were targeted by monkey chants at Italian tournament ● Celtic defender hopes there’s no repeat in two Europa League clashes with Lazio
Celtic defender Jeremie Frimpong has recalled being subjected to sickening racist abuse by Italian supporters when he was playing under-11 football.
With the issue of racism in football sadly returning to the fore in recent weeks, former Manchester City teenager Frimpong has expressed the hope it does not blight Thursday night’s Europa League match between Celtic and Lazio in Glasgow.
The game will be overseen by Croatian referee Ivan Bebek, the official who assisted England’s players in following Uefa protocol by stopping the action twice last week when they were racially abused during a Euro 2020 qualifier against Bulgaria in Sofia.
The conduct of Lazio supporters will be under close scrutiny at Celtic Park after the Rome club were fined over £17,000 for racist chants during their previous Europa League fixture at home to Rennes three weeks ago.
Lazio have also been ordered to partially close the Olympic Stadium in Rome for the return match with Celtic in the Italian capital on 7 November.
“When I was at Manchester City, I went to a tournament in Italy and their fans were making monkey chants,” said Dutch youth international Frimpong.
“It must have been with the under-11s. It wasn’t just me, my team-mates were getting it as well. I can’t remember exactly in Italy where it was, but I think it was Rome.
“I tried not to let it bother me, I still played on. It’s a game of football, what has the colour of my skin got to do with it? I
am just kicking a ball. It makes you so angry.
“I wouldn’t like to see the game stopped because of it on Thursday. But if it did happen, you saw it in the Bulgariaengland match. It just killed the mood. Let’s just play the game, none of this.
“Obviously racism used to be a lot worse back in the day in football and I think it is getting better. There is always going to be racism, always. But it has been getting better. It’s been coming back a little bit recently but, generally, I think it has been improving.”
Jeremie Frimpong admits he can hardly speak a word of Dutch but hopes his football will do the talking as he looks to follow in Virgil van Dijk’s footsteps at Celtic.
The 18-year-old right-back has made a more-than-eloquent statement on the pitch since joining the Scottish champions from Manchester City on transfer -deadline day this season.
Frimpong shone on his debut, a 5-0 Betfred Cup rout of Partick Thistle, and was outstanding again when he made his first Premiership appearance in the 6-0 drubbing of Ross County on Saturday.
The Dutch youth international was named man of the match on both occasions, setting a standard he insists he is capable of maintaining for Neil Lennon’s side as the campaign progresses. Amsterdam-born Frimpong is also eligible to play for Ghana, through his mother, and England, where his family moved when he was just seven, two years before he was picked up by Manchester City’s youth academy.
For the moment, the Netherlands remain his first choice, despite his struggles with the language. He is convinced his move to Celtic will give him the opportunity to go all the way to the top at both club and international level, just as defender van Dijk, pictured, has done on the back of his spell in Glasgow.
“I’d 100 per cent like to do what Virgil has done,” said Frimpong, capped three times at under-19 level by the Dutch so far.
“There is a pathway at Celtic, you get chances here to do that. The Dutch national team play a lot of young players, like Matthijs de Ligt, who are really good. They are building another great team and it would be exciting to be a part of that.
“I’m still working on my Dutch, I know how to speak it a little. If I do play for the national team, I’ll try and learn it properly.
“I was born in Amsterdam, my parents are Dutch and Ghanaian. There is interest in me from Ghana but right now I want to play for Holland. I won’t write off Ghana and I could play for England as well.
“The Dutch language isn’t the easiest to learn. The way they speak is fast, so you’ve just got to listen to what they are saying and look at their lips carefully!
“My sister speaks it fluently. She’s been teaching me little bits but it’s hard. It was English that was spoken in the house when I was growing up. That and the Ghana language which is called Twi.
“Mymumwouldnormallyspeakthatto me but my brothers and sisters all speak English. The only Dutch we would use would be hello and goodbye!”
Having caught the eye of Lennon while playingformanchestercityinadevelopment team fixture against Celtic, Frimpong had little hesitation in accepting the move to Glasgow and signing a fouryear contract.
“I had been at City all my football life and I had the ability to play there,” he said. “But I knew in my head that it was about the coach, Pep Guardiola, trusting me to play. And I knew I wasn’t going to get that. So I needed to change something.
“When he bought another right-back this summer, Joao Cancelo, that topped it off because he is a young guy as well.
“You train with the first team every week and then you go back down with the under-23s. There wasn’t really a pathway for me at Man City.
“So it wasn’t really that hard a decision. Obviously I would have loved to play for City, but I knew one day I would leave. This is just the beginning for me. Maybe I could go back there one day but right now I am staying here.
“What a way it has been for me to start,
“I knew it was about the coach, Pep Guardiola, trusting me to play. And I knew I wasn’t going to get that”
JEREMIE FRIMPONG