Rio Ferdinand slams lack of outrage over Richarlison banana incident
Rio Ferdinand has slammed the lack of outrage after a banana was thrown at Tottenham Hotspur forward Richarlison during Brazil’s friendly 5-1 win against Tunisia in Paris on Tuesday night.
The Spurs forward scored a goal in the 19th minute and Brazil’s second of the night. However, when he was celebrating, a lot of objects were thrown onto the pitch, including a banana.
Such a scene was then condemned by Richarlison, the Brazilian Football Confederation and Spurs. And now, the former Manchester United legend has slammed the lack of outrage over this issue while speaking on his YouTube channel (h/t Irish Mirror).
“The sanctions are not working, the sanctions aren’t hard enough. There aren’t barriers, no repercussions, no authority saying this is what we stand for, and if you cross that line bang. The way racism is treated now is like, let’s just keep sweeping it under the carpet. No one shouts loud enough, no player, no club, no organisation can stand tall for long enough. It’s disheartening.”
We are disgusted by the racist abuse of Richarlison at last night’s game between Brazil and Tunisia. This has no place in football, or anywhere.
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 28, 2022
We stand with you, Richy 💙 pic.twitter.com/lXIkBv96si
Racism has long been going on in the game. Despite calls for stricter rules to be implemented, hardly any change has occurred.
In this modern day and age when a disgusting thing like racism still prevails in the beautiful game, shows how backward the management of the game is. No matter the fancy stadiums and jerseys with all good technology, if a racist can get away with such crimes, it is unacceptable.
The 25-year-old joined Tottenham this summer and has been in fine form for Antonio Conte’s side. He has scored two goals in eight games in all competitions, while also registering two assists in the process.
He has been in fine form for his country too. The former Everton man has scored three goals in two friendlies this month, further stamping a place for himself in the Selecao team for the World Cup in November.
More Tottenham News:
- Leicester City’s James Maddison backed to join Tottenham Hotspur by Simon Jordan
- Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min stars in South Korea’s win vs Cameroon
- Spurs Transfer News: Bayern Munich still ‘adamant’ they can sign Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane
Richarlison is a top player who gives his all on the pitch. He has done nothing wrong to be a subject to such abuse. Racism still exists and the authorities should do more to tackle this problem. Such disgusting acts will never be tolerated in the beautiful game or anywhere else.
