RUDI WANTS SON TO LIVE IN WORLD FREE OF RACISM
WHEN Antonio Rudiger held his first born in his arms on Thursday it was the greatest day of his life.
Now, all too soon, the realities of the world the Chelsea defender is bringing his son into have begun to hit home.
“First-born child... I have never experienced this type of emotion or what was going on,” said Rudiger.
“But it was something that will always remain No.1 in my head.”
Fast-forward 48 hours and Rudiger was back in the cut and thrust of the Premier League – being booed for complaining about racist abuse when he played at Spurs in the days leading up to Christmas. It was a stark reminder of what Rudiger sees and his new paternal responsibilities towards young Djamal, whose name in Arabic means ‘fine man’.
“Of course I am worried,” he said. “Because if racism happens at football, it is also happening outside. And outside is where my son is going to be growing up.
“I’ll do my best to make sure my son is not stupid like other people. Sorry for using such a strong word, but I don’t have any other words for it.”
Rudiger is careful not to point the finger at Tottenham for the failure to find who was responsible for the racist abuse he claims to have heard from a section of their fans on December 22.
But he is upset that right-minded individuals in the vicinity were not more forthright in pointing the finger.
In the same game, a Chelsea supporter was arrested for racially abusing Spurs’ Heung-min Son after he was reported by a fellow fan.
“In that game when it happened against me, Chelsea fans got arrested and why?” he asked. “Because Chelsea fans reported the other Chelsea fans who abused Son. On the other side, nothing. That’s why I say if we don’t stand up, racism won.” ‘BOOS PROVE THAT RACISTS HAVE WON’ ANTONIO RUDIGER says the
“racists have won” after he was booed during Tottenham’s visit to Chelsea on Saturday.
His every touch was heckled in the early stages of the Blues’ 2-1 win and Rudiger described as “poor people” the Spurs fans who left him feeling like a “bogeyman” for reporting the incident.
“It’s sad,” he said. “I don’t know why they would boo me. Maybe it’s because I voiced about the racism.
“If you boo me because of that then you are poor people. It makes me feel like it will always be like this. For me, in this case, racism won.”