“Footballers are young men, and as men we act impulsively. But when we see injustice, we must speak out and take action.” This is what Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku tweeted on Sunday afternoon.
It’s what international soccer players are supposed to do, but on Sunday morning, his words were answered with one of those infamous, quick reflexes… of actual protest. Lukaku’s message was one of the few to emerge from the protests at the far right of the football pitch, where players at the German club VfL Wolfsburg ripped their shirts off in solidarity with those at the far left, whose flares were set alight by neo-Nazis at a Wednesday evening UEFA Cup match in Berlin.
https://twitter.com/RomeluLukaku9/status/912825887713470352
It was the second year in a row that Wolfsburg had reacted to neo-Nazi behaviour, although as the Daily Mail’s Richard Whittle tweeted, this was the first time that it had ended in violence. Under the German Football Association’s code of conduct, a club can be expelled from the competition for any repeat offence.
When the action got out of hand at the Westfalenstadion, Feyenoord defender Daley Blind was hit in the face with a flare thrown by a fan. He was taken to hospital, but was able to return. He also happened to be one of the few professional footballers ever to be attacked while playing in Germany.
“We are all humans and it is sad, but it is part of football,” Blind said after the game. “I think that if they were football fans they would not do these kind of things. We should join hands instead of fighting. That’s why footballers must be careful with these kinds of things, because they can get hurt. We must try to get their support.”
The suggestion that Lukaku wanted to fly the flag for transparency and political correctness in football is true. Unfortunately, it was also untrue. This was the first time that Lukaku had seen fit to express himself publicly. To do so, he included an expletive, which he tweeted again just three hours later.
“I’m sick of Football’s millionaires hiding behind their PR teams and using language that’s so hard to understand.” But he couldn’t help himself. “I will always be who I am… I’m not asking for anything. I’m just saying what I think.”
He told Sky Sports News HQ he would never have sent the tweet if it hadn’t been for his friends, and if a lot of his fellow footballers followed suit. He might not have deleted it had he not received a direct message from a journalist wanting to know if there were any statements he wanted to make publicly.
“I will never stop my opinion, but I don’t want to give everyone the wrong impression that I don’t agree with racism. If I was banned, would that bother me? No. I don’t want to portray racism as a part of football.
“I hope football bosses and players can speak out. In 2014, Manchester United players used a banner against racist abuse during an FA Cup match. They wanted to join in with other players around the world who decided to show their support for equality. The banners were also aimed at the anti-discrimination campaign Kick It Out.”
“I will never stop my opinion, but I don’t want to give everyone the wrong impression that I don’t agree with racism. If I was banned, would that bother me? No. I don’t want to portray racism as a part of football. I hope football bosses and players can speak out. In 2014, Manchester United players used a banner against racist abuse during an FA Cup match. They wanted to join in with other players around the world who decided to show their support for equality. The banners were also aimed at the anti-discrimination campaign Kick It Out.”
So he was left talking. “If people [others] back off, then I’m not there to represent football. This is just to say it’s not normal and I am not living life with my head in the clouds. I’m not perfect but I’m working hard to be the best.”