Jude Bellingham doubts appetite in Spain to tackle racism

admin admin | 04-17 08:15

Jude Bellingham has demanded football's authorities – particularly in Spain – do more to combat racism but admitted: "I doubt that will happen."

The England midfielder’s call came after his Real Madrid team-mate Aurelien Tchouameni was racially abused by a Mallorca supporter after scoring last weekend.

It is the latest of a number of incidents in Spanish football, with another Real player in Vinicius Jr having been a regular victim of offensive chanting and gestures.

Bellingham, speaking to media ahead of Real’s Champions League clash with Manchester City on Wednesday, said: "I think in the games where we go away, in LaLiga especially, you almost get so used to it that I wasn’t even aware of the (Tchouameni) incident. I think that’s a massive problem in itself.

"More has got to be done, whether it’s the punishment and how you react to it or how you move proactively to (stop) this kind of thing.

"I think it’s a horrible way for a player to prepare for a game, knowing that they’re probably going to get racially abused. It’s disgusting. It shouldn’t happen.

"The people in power need to do more. No one deserves that kind of thing.

"It’s definitely a call-out for the people who are in charge to take control. I doubt that will happen.

"It’s going to be something that I imagine we will still have to just deal with going into games. You have just got to play your game and hope that the people look after you, and they’re not doing it well enough at the moment."

Vinicius broke down in tears at a press conference as he discussed his experiences of racism ahead of Brazil’s recent friendly against Spain in Madrid.

Bellingham expressed sympathy for his colleague.

He said: "I think the blame gets shifted more onto him because of maybe his playing style and the way he likes to express himself and I don’t think that’s fair.

"The game would miss players like Vini if he decided to take a break because of this thing. More needs to be done to support these players."

Real are locked in a ferocious battle with holders City to advance to the Champions League semi-finals after an enthralling 3-3 draw at the Bernabeu last week.

City are now regarded as the favourites due to their home advantage – and the fact they thrashed Real 4-0 at the same venue last season – but Bellingham is taking no notice of predictions.

He said: "That's just the impression from the outside, the feeling from everyone else.

"I’m not a gambler and I’ve never been to the bookies, so I don’t know about betting favourites and things like that.

"But I do know that we’re a pretty good team ourselves. They’re the treble winners, they’re an amazing team but we’ve got some brilliant players.

"There’s external noise, but internally, we’re confident."

First-leg highlights:

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Kyle Walker is set to return for the hosts.

The England right-back has missed the treble-winners' last five matches after suffering a hamstring injury on international duty last month.

Walker played a full part in City’s final training session before they host Real.

Manager Pep Guardiola said: "He’s been training good. I don’t know if from the beginning or from the bench, but I think he will be with us tomorrow.

"It is incredibly good news for many reasons. You know the physicality is massively important and in football it is how you challenge your opponent. Everyone knows the quality Kyle has."

Walker did not travel to Spain for last week’s pulsating first-leg draw at the Bernabeu Stadium but was an unused substitute for the 5-1 thrashing of Luton on Saturday.

Team-mate Bernardo Silva has welcomed the potential return of the City skipper.

The midfielder said: "He is very important because we know Kyle has controlled some of the best players in the world and always does a phenomenal job when he plays.

"He’s our captain and he’s a player who, in the last few years, has played against players like Vinicius, (Kylian) Mbappe and Neymar and has defended against them like nobody else."

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