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Spurs' Son: 'I've been a victim of racism in England'


Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-Min has revealed that he has suffered racial abuse from fans while playing in England.

Speaking in a news conference ahead of Spurs’ Champions League quarter final against Manchester City, the South Korea attacker said it was something he tries to ignore.

“We’re talking about a few times,” he admitted. “I’ve had racism as well since playing in England. I think the best reaction is don’t react to anything.

Son’s revelation comes just a few days after clubmate Danny Rose aired his frustrations about the lack of action against racism in football, stating that he ‘can’t wait’ to retire.

Rose, who was among the England players who faced abuse playing in Montenegro last month, said the authorities aren’t doing enough to combat the problem.

“Seeing how things are done in the game at the minute, you just have to get on with it,” he lamented. “There is so much politics in football. I can’t wait to see the back of it.”

Son Heung-Min revealed he has faced racism in England (Getty)
Son Heung-Min revealed he has faced racism in England (Getty)

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Son, who has become a fan favourite at Spurs since joining from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015, last week etched his name in Tottenham folklore after scoring the first goal at the club’s brand new stadium in a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.

The 26-year-old forward says he he would rather focus on football but will always support fellow teammates who are also targeted by abuse.

“We’re playing football as a human,” he added. “It doesn’t matter which country you come from. We play one sport. We should protect the players who get racism and fight together. I think that’s most important.

“We’re not talking about these things [in the dressing room] because if you ask the players, maybe they don’t want to talk about it. If Danny comes to us, then of course we try to help.”

Spurs and England star Danny Rose is ready to walk away from the game over racism (Getty)Son
Spurs and England star Danny Rose is ready to walk away from the game over racism (Getty)Son

Son’s comments come off the back of a weekend in which a spate of racism related incidents were reported across English football.

A man has been arrested following offensive message directed at Wigan’s Nathan Byrne, while a Brentford season ticket holder was also detained by police following abuse directed at Derby midfielder Duane Holmes.

There were also reported incidents involving Northampton Town players at Notts County and Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha highlighted an abusive message he also received on social media.

Kick It Out released a statement condemning the incidents and vowed to keep fighting against discrimination in the sport.

“Another week, another group of players racially abused. We won’t stop highlighting this disgraceful behaviour while it remains deeply ingrained within football.

“We’ll be liaising with the relevant authorities and offering support to clubs and players involved. #KickItOut

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