Richarlison says racism in football will continue unless punishments are handed out after the Tottenham forward had a banana thrown at him during Brazil’s win over Tunisia in Paris.
The 25-year-old scored Brazil’s second goal in their 5-1 victory at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday night, with the incident occurring during his celebration in the 19th minute.
Fan footage captured Manchester United midfielder Fred kicking the banana off the pitch; before the match, five-time world champions Brazil had held an anti-racism banner reading: “Without our black players, we wouldn’t have stars on our shirt.”
Speaking afterwards, Richarlison explained that he was glad he did not notice the banana at the time.
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“May this fan be identified and punished.
“It’s hard. You see what happened with Vinicius Jr recently and now this, inside a stadium. May the authorities find and punish them. May this incident teach other people not to do it.”
Richarlison was referring to the racist abuse aimed at compatriot and Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr earlier this month, and went on to tweet: “As long as they keep ‘blah blah blah’ and don’t punish, it’s going to continue like this, happening every day and in every corner.”
Chelsea and Brazil defender Thiago Silva also addressed the incident, saying: “I was saddened by the gesture they made because that’s not football. Football is about supporting your team. Afterwards, on the pitch, we try to give our all for our national team. But gestures like that are not good for football.”
Tottenham said they were “disgusted” by the racist abuse aimed at their player, the Premier League said it would “continue to support players and work with clubs to tackle discriminatory behaviour”, while the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) called for stricter punishments.
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, Richypic.twitter.com/lXIkBv96si
“After Brazil’s second goal, a banana was thrown towards Richarlison. The CBF reinforces its stance against discrimination and vehemently repudiates yet another episode of racism in football,” CBF tweeted.
“Whether on or off the field, attitudes like this cannot be tolerated.”
CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues added in a separate statement: “Once again, I come publicly to express my rejection. This time I saw it with my own eyes. This shocks us. We must always remember that we are all the same, regardless of colour, race or religion.
“The fight against racism is not a cause, but a fundamental [battle for] change to wipe this type of crime from the planet. I insist on saying that the punishments need to be more severe.”
Ferdinand: As much hysteria when he did kick-ups
Former England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand called the incident “disheartening”, but went on to question the level of “hysteria” compared to when Richarlison was fouled after showboating during Spurs’ match against Nottingham Forest in August.
Richarlison’s kick-ups during the game prompted days of debate in the week that followed, and Ferdinand used that as a point of reference when addressing the racism aimed at the Spurs striker on Tuesday night.
More on Richarlison
“It’s disheartening. You’ve got your own kids saying, ‘Dad, see that banana thrown on the pitch at Richarlison?’” Ferdinand said in a video on Twitter.
“It’s madness. There was probably as much vitriol and hysteria on social media and in the media in general with this banana incident as there was when he was doing kick-ups and he got smashed. Let that sink in.”
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