UEFA must take racism seriously - Patrick Collins
It was a lively night in the San Siro stadium. Inter Milan attacked with style and fervour, scored four and deserved even more, yet were beaten by a solitary away goal. So Tottenham, chastened and exhausted, progressed to the quarter-finals of the Europa League. And, this being Italy, several of their players suffered racial abuse.
The incidents merited a few indignant headlines and some ritual condemnation. UEFA announced an inquiry and various notables declared the behaviour ‘unacceptable’. Then the world moved on, new priorities usurped the agenda and the ugliness faded into the background. Until the next time.
That is how world and European football deals with racial incidents; smugly, complacently, inadequately. And that is how it will continue to behave until something happens to disturb their inertia.
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The civilised sections of the crowd applauded sympathetically as the Milan players followed their colleague, while their coach, Massimiliano Allegri, later announced: ‘I think it was the right decision not to return to the field out of respect for our players and all other black players. I hope this can be an important signal.’
Now, suppose one of Tottenham’s players had reacted in similar fashion the other evening; Emmanuel Adebayor, perhaps, at whom most of the filth was directed, or Aaron Lennon, William Gallas or Jermain Defoe. Gallas, in fact, sympathises with those who leave the field. ‘I understand it,’ he said. ‘UEFA and FIFA have to act. They have to understand what we can feel when we are on the pitch.’
But what would have been the official view of a protest delivered not in a meaningless friendly but amid the heat of a European competition? Well, we have at least one revealing precedent. You may recall how Sepp Blatter, president of FIFA, responded to the Boateng incident: ‘Walk off? No. I don’t think that is the solution. I don’t think you can run away because then the team should have to forfeit the match.’
And that view, from the most powerful man in the game, is known to be shared by UEFA’s president, Michel Platini.
