Jürgen Klopp has praised the courage of Rhian Brewster for speaking out about racial abuse and expressed his hopes that the people at the top of the sport will listen to the 17-year-old and realise more needs to be done in the fight against racism.
Klopp said he could “100% understand” Brewster’s frustration that Uefa, in particular, was not doing enough after the teenager decided to go public, in an interview with the Guardian, in the hope that it might prompt the football authorities to take the problem more seriously.
Brewster, one of the key players when England won the Under-17 World Cup in October, chronicled seven incidents, including five since May, when he says he has been racially abused during matches against players from abroad or witnessed the same happening to a team-mate. Two of the alleged incidents happened while playing for England, including one in the World Cup final when he says his team‑mate Morgan Gibbs-White was called a “monkey” by a Spain player.
“I am really happy he is brave enough, and he needed to be brave, to do what he did because it is such an important thing,” Klopp said. “I really can’t believe people still have these thoughts in their mind now. It’s so strange that it happens in this world now and we need a 17-year-old boy to shout out and say it is still happening all the time and that we need help to stop it. We are really happy he did that but it is not a situation you want a 17-year-old to be in. If he needs help we will give it to him.”
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As Herman Ouseley, chairman of Kick it Out, praised Brewster for taking a stand, the Guardian can also reveal that FARE (Football Against Racism in Europe) has already contacted the sport’s main governing bodies to demand action on the back of the teenager’s interview.
“No player of any ethnicity should have to face the type of abuse that Rhian Brewster has spoken about,” Piara Powar, FARE’s executive director, said. “We commend his bravery and maturity in dealing with it on the pitch and taking the initiative to speak about it. He has done football, and those of us campaigning for change, a huge favour.
“We have already been in touch with Uefa and are writing to Fifa. Rhian has opened up a reality within a part of the game that is relatively closed. We are seeking assurances, and making suggestions as to how, the issues raised will translate into change in the future.”
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Ouseley, whose organisation has been in regular contact with Brewster, said: “We are very concerned that, with the wider elements of society driving hate, a lot of this is creeping back into the game. We need to stamp on it very powerfully and efficiently or we are going to have a bigger problem than we have now.
“Rhian has been very courageous. A guy has come out and told us exactly what is going on. Are the institutions going to fail him? Is that what the fans going to Russia are going to see at the World Cup? People might say it is a 17-year-old who is not yet playing at professional elite level – well, hello, that [the lower age levels] is really where the problems begin.”
Uefa has charged the Spartak Moscow under-19s captain, Leonid Mironov, with racial abuse for allegedly telling Brewster to “suck my dick, you nigger, you negro”, but has closed two previous cases involving the Liverpool player, one from the England-Ukraine match in the European Under-17 Championship and the other relating to a Uefa Youth League tie against Sevilla, because of insufficient evidence, namely a lack of witnesses. Mironov denies the allegation.
“I can 100% understand the frustration of Rhian if he thinks they [Uefa] did not do enough,” Klopp said. “The problem in life is you need evidence and if nobody hears it or there is no footage it is difficult. What can you do? You ask people if they heard it but a team-mate [of the accused player] will not say: ‘Yes, he said it.’
“ What we need to make sure is it never happens again. The refs need to be aware and even more focused. It is important we are talking about it in a serious, commonsense way. It is big, but it is not about punishing people but ensuring it does not happen again. We are all responsible for that.
“I never had it before. I played with players from different countries and I’ve had players, as a manager, from all over the world. That can make you think the problem is not there any more. But it is very important Rhian has reminded us it is still there and we have to think about it and make sure it never happens again. A lot of people think it doesn’t happen but obviously it happens all the time.”
The Football Association issued a statement which read: “We take such matters extremely seriously and have worked to provide support to our young players should they be the victims of such abhorrent behaviour while representing club or country.
“In Rhian’s case, we have visited him at his club to discuss his concerns and understand his frustration at the perceived lack of action. He has our full support and we will continue to push for appropriate responses from the relevant authorities.”
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