Zaragoza's racist fans condemned as players support Eto'o
AFP
February 26, 2006
AFP - Feb 26, 7:28 am EST
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MADRID (AFP) - Racism again reared its ugly head in Spanish football as Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o suffered sustained abuse at Real Zaragoza.
The three-time African Footballer of the Year and the Spanish first division's leading scorer decided that he had had enough and tried to leave the field 14 minutes before the end.
Eto'o was persuaded to continue by his team mates, principally Ronaldinho, and Real Zaragoza's Ewerthon, who are both black Brazilians, but it left a nasty taste despite Barca's 2-0 win which kept them on top of the Spanish first division.
"It was a shame. Samuel is a human being and he felt bad on the pitch, but I was pleased with the attitude of his team mates who told him to continue," said Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard Saturday.
"He proved he was able to overcome the circumstances and he made a valuable contribution to our victory. It's sad that things like this happen as it is thanks to players like Samuel that the fans come to the stadium to be entertained.
"I would also like to say that the referee behaved very well," added Rijkaard, paying tribute to referee Victor Esquinas Torres.
Esquinas Torres stopped the game in the second half, before Eto'o made his protest, to ask for an announcement over the public address system to call a halt to the abuse.
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"Every time he touched the ball there were the chants," confirmed Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes.
Players from both sides were quick to condemn the abuse, and support Eto'o.
"It's perfectly normal that he was angry with a situation like that. These sort of things are very offensive, had he actually left the field then we would have followed him," said Barcelona's Mexican international Rafa Marquez.
"It's lamentable that these things happen in football and it's not the first time that this happens on this ground.
"Samuel said he didn't want to continue but we wanted to convince him that he should not let them (the racists) get to him," added Barcelona club captain Carles Puyol.
"It was a bit of moral justice that soon after everything happened, we got the goals," said Puyol, reflecting on the fact that both of Barca's goals came in the last 10 minutes.
Home players were equally incensed at the behaviour of their own supporters.
"I'm black too. I'm a Zaragoza player and totally opposed to the fans who did this. I've been abused too at other grounds in Spain but we need to rise above this," said Zaragoza striker Ewerthon.
"The Spanish federation have to start taking proper measures and we as black players also have to act. We are here to work and if things carry on like this it will be impossible," added the Brazilian.
It is not the first time that Eto'o has been the butt of racist behaviour by Zaragoza fans, although he has also been abused at a number of other Spanish first division grounds and the problem is far from isolated.
Zaragoza were fined a paltry 600 euros by the Spanish football federation last season after a section of their fans directed similar monkey noises and grunts at Eto'o.
Racist behaviour by Spanish crowds has been a problem for many years but it came under the spotlight when the England national team visited Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium in November 2004 for a friendly match against Spain.
England's black players, including Chelsea's Shaun Wright-Phillips and Arsenal's Ashley Cole, were the targets of racists which television pictures showed covered all age groups and backgrounds, not just the stereotypical young hooligan.
Barcelona football club hosted a UEFA anti-racism conference earlier this month but Spanish football federation president Angel Maria Villar didn't do much to create an impression that his organisation was taking racism seriously.
"Why blow it all up, why make a mountain out of a molehill?" said Villar, leaving delegates in stunned silence and drawing comdemnation around the world for his complacency.
Updated on Sunday, Feb 26, 2006 7:25 am EST
