Football No room for complacency in fight against racism, says Ince
PAUL Ince says it is imperative there is no complacency in football’s fight against rac- ism.
Ince was speaking in the wake of the incident which saw Chelsea and the Metropolitan Police investigate alleged racist abuse towards Raheem Sterling in Saturday’s match with Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.
Ince, a Paddy Power ambassador, told Press Association Sport: “I’m sure the person or people who shouted abuse will be dealt with in the right way.
“Sometimes I don’t want to talk about it because I’m giving them too much respect and they don’t deserve it. We can talk about it, but maybe we need to do a lot more about it. When we get complacent, thinking we’ve dealt with it, we now see that it’s still there.”
Former Manchester United, Inter Milan and Liverpool midfielder Ince was the first black captain of England’s men’s team and experienced racism when playing in Italy.
Ince was also a target for supporters, particularly West Ham fans angered by his 1989 move to Manchester United. Gary Neville on Monday night revealed Sterling had confided in him about being the focus of fans’ fury.
Ince reckons Sterling’s performances for England and Manches- ter City have contributed to a change in perceptions.
“Players get criticised by fans. I’m sure he can deal with that,” Ince added. “When it becomes racist, that’s a different kettle of fish and that’s when we all have to stand up and make sure we deal with the people who do these things.”
Sterling has received support from City team-mate Leroy Sane.
Sane, speaking at a press conference ahead of tonight’s game against Hoffenheim, said: “I think it is sad this happens still. Raheem is a strong guy, a tough guy, he knows how to handle it. He is still focused, playing good football, and will focus on the next game.”
City manager Pep Guardiola feels Sterling has handled a difficult matter well. Guardiola said: “There was concern about what happened but he has been quite good. He made a statement, he was quite clear about his thoughts.”
Guardiola believes racism is a deep-rooted problem in society.
He said: “Racism is everywhere. People focus on football but it is not just in football, unfortunately. What happens with immigrants, refugees around the world, how we treat them. We have to fight for a better society.”
Guardiola is proud of Sterling for speaking out. He said: “Raheem said it perfectly. He is an incredible person, an incredible human being.”