According to the German national soccer player Antonio Rüdiger, people who do not take action against racism and ignore such statements are also liable to prosecution. “Strangely enough, when people are attacked in a racist manner, you rarely experience moral courage from the people around them,” said the defender of the English first division club, Chelsea, the DFB-Journal. “I have very clear words for these people: They are accomplices. Very simple. In my opinion, these people should be punished.”
The 27-year-old describes worrying developments in football. “To be honest, in my opinion it has gotten worse. Back then I never experienced anything in Stuttgart, even during my years as a junior player in Berlin from 2005 onwards. When I went to Italy, it got worse. “
Rüdiger has no understanding of xenophobic behavior. “I just don’t know what it takes to make a person utter such noises in the stadium. Or to insult other people in a racist manner. I can’t explain that.”
In an interview with SPIEGEL, Rüdiger told what racist insults trigger in him. “I don’t think anyone can empathize with this situation who has never experienced it. I felt incredibly alone against Tottenham,” said the 27-year-old about an incident in December 2019. “Yes, the nice words of many Sides did well. But in the end there were no consequences. There is only talk, but I believe in action. This experience confirmed what I have been thinking for a long time: When it comes to racism, we dark-skinned players are alone. “
For the perpetrators, he demanded harsh punishments: “The perpetrators have to be punished in such a way that it really hurts them. That they never forget it. Because they don’t even know what they are doing to us with monkey noises.”
