- Title: Tottenham's Mourinho supports action against racism, slams Son's VAR red card
- Date: 23rd December 2019
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (DECEMBER 23, 2019) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE (English) TOTTENHAM MANAGER JOSE MOURINHO SPEAKING ABOUT RACISM INCIDENT DURING MATCH AGAINST CHELSEA, SAYING: "I am totally, but totally against racism in society and obviously against racism in my football world. I feel very sorry everytime something happens and I will always support any decision that the authorities can make in relation to that and yesterday was just an example of that. I was not happy with so much time wasted during the game, with so much time with the referee having conversations, explanations to players, in the moment he come to me and he explained me why in that specific occasion the game was stopped, I told 'stop the time, you want one minute, 10 minutes or an hour I totally support any decision' and I cannot say much more than that." WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE (English) TOTTENHAM MANAGER JOSE MOURINHO SPEAKING ABOUT RACISM INCIDENT DURING MATCH AGAINST CHELSEA, SAYING: "Society needs help, I think society needs help and then football is a micro-society if you can call it, do we need help? Yes. Society needs help. We need to eradicate, is that the right word, eradicate any form of discrimination and in this case we are speaking about racism, and yes, football needs help, but society needs help." WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE (English) TOTTENHAM MANAGER JOSE MOURINHO SPEAKING ABOUT RACISM INCIDENT DURING MATCH AGAINST CHELSEA, SAYING: "My message is that it's not fair to say 'Tottenham fans', one Tottenham fan is not 'Tottenham fans'. Tottenham fans, at least since I'm here, before I didn't follow of course with the same intensity, since I'm here they've been phenomenal, home, away, phenomenal." WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE (English) TOTTENHAM MANAGER JOSE MOURINHO SPEAKING ABOUT RACISM INCIDENT DURING MATCH AGAINST CHELSEA, SAYING: "I ask them to be the same, to look to the guy on the left, to look to the guy on the right and to listen to the guy behind me and to listen to the guy in front of me and if anyone has any little manifestation to try in there in between them, to kill it immediately." WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE (English) TOTTENHAM MANAGER JOSE MOURINHO SPEAKING ABOUT VAR DECISION WHICH LED TO A RED CARD FOR SON HEUNG-MIN, SAYING: "Even in this room some of our friends will say yes and some will say no, and Mr Paul Tierney (the Video Assistant Referee) says yes and Mr Anthony Taylor (match referee) that was in the game on real time, five metres from the situation, Mr Taylor decided no. So who was refereeing the game was not Mr Taylor, was Mr Tierney." WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE (English) TOTTENHAM MANAGER JOSE MOURINHO SPEAKING ABOUT VAR DECISION WHICH LED TO A RED CARD FOR SON HEUNG-MIN, SAYING: "I think Mr Tierney made it wrong, it was the wrong call. This is England, this is the Premier League, this is the best competition in the world with characteristics that if we change them we are killing the best league in the world. Taylor had the feeling, he was there, he had the feeling, he saw it clearly so I think it's the wrong call and then it's with things like this that people doesn't like the VAR." WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE (English) TOTTENHAM MANAGER JOSE MOURINHO SPEAKING ABOUT CHELSEA'S PENALTY AWARD AND THE VAR DECISION WHICH LED TO A RED CARD FOR SON HEUNG-MIN, SAYING: "So when the decision is a clear and obvious mistake everybody says 'welcome VAR'. No need for the referee to go to the screen like in some countries, to lose five minutes looking at replays. It's clear, clear. So for me that's the VAR that I like and yesterday, on the Son red card, is the VAR that I hate." WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE (English) TOTTENHAM MANAGER JOSE MOURINHO SPEAKING ABOUT VAR DECISION WHICH LED TO A RED CARD FOR SON HEUNG-MIN, SAYING: "He's a big loss for us but if that happened we have just to try to cope with it and to fight against injustice and the way to fight against injustice is to give our best and the boys that are going to play to try to get the results we need."
- Embargoed: 6th January 2020 14:39
- Keywords: Antonio Rudiger Chelsea Jose Mourinho Son Heung-min Tottenham Hotspur racism
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Soccer,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA001BB75BGF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: STILLS OF THE RACISM INCIDENT AND SON HEUNG MIN'S SENDING OFF RAN IN EDIT 7116-SOCCER-ENGLAND-TOT-CHE/
Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho on Monday (December 23) condemned racism in soccer after claims that racist abuse was directed at a Chelsea player during Sunday's Premier League match.
Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger alleges he was racially abused after he was involved in an incident in which Tottenham's Son Heung-min was red-carded and indicated shortly afterwards he had been the victim of a monkey gesture from the home fans.
Mourinho defended the majority of Tottenham fans, telling a news conference: "One Tottenham fan is not 'Tottenham fans'. Tottenham fans.....they've been phenomenal, home, away, phenomenal."
Mourinho urged fans to monitor the behaviour of others around them in the stadium and if they detect racist behavior to 'kill it immediately."
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) called for a government inquiry into racism in the English game following the match, which Chelsea won 2-0.
The FA, the country's soccer governing body, said it was working with all parties to establish facts before taking action.
Tottenham have vowed to take the "strongest possible action" if any fan is identified as having made racist gestures.
Rudiger is the latest Premier League player to suffer alleged racist abuse during a match, with Manchester United's Fred targeted by a Manchester City fan this month.
Racist incidents have tainted European soccer recently, with Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku and Brescia's Mario Balotelli were subjected to racist insults from rival fans during Serie A matches in Italy this season.
Mourinho criticised the decision by VAR official Paul Tierney to over-rule match referee Anthony Taylor in the sending off of the influential Son Heung-min. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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