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Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has slammed football’s governing body’s inaction over his claim that he was racially abused by Tottenham Hotspur fans earlier this season, and said that “racism has won.”
Rudiger, 26, reported the alleged abuse in Chelsea’s 2-0 win at Spurs in December, but the investigation has now closed after the north London club found no evidence of racial abuse toward the defender.
Speaking to Sky in Germany after his side’s 2-1 home victory over Spurs in the return Premier League fixture on Saturday, Rudiger said that he feels “alone” in his fight to end racism in football.
“Racism has won! It shows that these people have won, because they are able to keep coming back to the stadium,” Rudiger said.
“They won’t be punished, and at the end of the day I’m the bogeyman. It’s not that I’m giving up or not speaking up. I will always speak up on this, but I’m alone in that regard.
“It’s a catastrophe. I had a kid on Thursday. As long as society remains as it is today, my child is ultimately very likely to suffer in the same way.
“Support is there, but words and actions are two different things. At the end of the day, anyone can say ‘I’m sorry!’ But only those who share the same fate as me can understand it.”
He added: “The mentality is all wrong, and mine too. At the end of the day, you’re alone.
“If it’s not dealt with, if little kids are not educated properly and aren’t taught well at home, then we have lost. We have to be honest.
“Everybody should be looking within their own house, because when I was racially abused in Italy, I kept hearing ‘that’s normal in Italy.’ Everyone has to start with themselves, and then they can talk about others. No country has a handle on it.”
Rudiger started in Saturday’s match against Spurs, scoring an own goal in the final stages of the game, but earlier strikes from Olivier Giroud and Marcos Alonso secured victory for Chelsea.