Rudiger demands Fifa justice over racist taunts
Antonio Rudiger, Chelsea’s new £29 million defender, has taken another swipe at Fifa as he reflects on his turbulent final season with Roma.
Rudiger can still remember the feeling of desolation this year when he was subjected to racist taunts from Lazio supporters. The stadium announcer was forced to appeal for calm during the Rome derby.
It was the second high-profile incident he had endured in Serie A that campaign, following the storm created by Lazio defender Senad Lulic’s remarks last December. Lulic’s claim that Rudiger, a Germany international, was at former club Stuttgart two years ago “selling socks and belts” was punished with a meagre one-game suspension, underlining how racism remains a serious issue in Italy.
Rudiger is focusing on a new start as he prepares to help Chelsea defend their Premier League title but the memories of those final months at Roma are still raw.
“I just want justice. I want Fifa or the FA in Italy just to suspend those people who do that,” he said. “Those people need to be banned from the stadium or fined. You cannot even put yourself in my position of how that feels.
“I can keep my focus but people love to say ‘stay calm’ or ‘don’t do anything’. It is easy for you to say those things when you are not black and you never feel what it is like. You have to be strong. But each human is different. Someone takes it and doesn’t react. Others react. I can understand both.”
There were other incidents, too. Pescara’s Sulley Muntari was targeted by Cagliari supporters, and Rudiger became a reluctant public figure in the fight against racism. His move away from Roma felt inevitable this summer and Chelsea finally agreed a deal this month, following at least 12 months of consistent interest.
With former captain John Terry departing after two decades, the champions require fresh leadership in the dressing room and Rudiger, a powerful centre-half, fits the criteria for head coach Antonio Conte.
Comfortable in a back three, Rudiger possesses pace and a decent reading of the game, though there has been scrutiny of his poor disciplinary record. The 24-year-old is relishing the challenge of English football. “You need to prepare for a physical game. There are a lot of strikers – Jamie Vardy, [Romelu] Lukaku, a lot of strikers – where you look at them and it is a challenge. The whole league is a challenge,” he said. Rudiger made his unofficial debut in yesterday’s International Champions Cup game against Inter Milan, coming on eight minutes into the second half. But Chelsea slipped to a 2-1 defeat as Ivan Perisic proved why he is a target for Manchester United with a dominant performance.
Stevan Jovetic gave Inter the lead in first-half injury time, converting from close range after Thibaut Courtois had saved his penalty. And in the 53rd minute Perisic, the Croatia international, produced a clinical finish from the left after a swift counter-attack.
Chelsea did reduce the deficit 16 minutes from time with a crazy own goal from Inter’s Geoffrey Kondogbia, the substitute lobbing his own goalkeeper with a backpass from 40 yards.
And though Michy Batshuayi had a late goal harshly disallowed for offside, Conte’s plea for new players will only be reinforced after this second successive defeat.