Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp feels Raheem Sterling’s handling of alleged racial abuse shouted at him during Manchester City’s loss to Chelsea was brilliant as the fans didn’t not deserve any kind of reaction.
MANCHESTER, England — Pep Guardiola has said “racism is everywhere” and is a problem across society not just in football, after Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling hit out at media coverage that he said “helps fuel racism.”
A police investigation is under way following an incident involving Sterling during City’s 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge on Saturday that has seen Chelsea suspend four supporters from attending games “pending further investigations.”
Sterling made a stand in an Instagram post on Sunday, something that earned him the praise of Guardiola.
“It’s everywhere, racism is everywhere, people focus on football but it’s not just in football,” he said.
“You think in football we’d be safe, but racism is everywhere. What happens today how we treat immigrants and refugees, when once in our lives our grandfathers were refugees. How we treat them in society — it’s everywhere.
“That’s why we have to fight every day. I appreciate what Chelsea did, if it happened in my club we should do the same. We have to fight for human rights to make a better society for the future.
“Today it’s dangerous not just in England, all across Europe. The message for the politicians is for them to be tough on human rights and we have to defend democracy in the best way.”
Speaking at a news conference ahead of the Champions League clash with Hoffenheim, Guardiola added: “He is an incredible person, an incredible human being.
“It is tough to understand what happened throughout history for black people. We have to protect how equal we are.”
Guardiola added that Sterling is fine following the incident and is in the squad for their final group game against Hoffenheim, with City needing a point to top Group F.
“I was concerned with what happened but [he’s] quite good,” Guardiola said. “Yesterday we didn’t see him, he made a statement on Instagram it was quite clear about his thoughts.” Sterling, meanwhile, has said it is import to speak out about big issues now in order to help future generations.
“‘I’m about sharing so that stuff that has happened to me could help someone else as well,’ he told The Glass Magazine.
“There was a time when I tried to hold stuff back but I know now that there is a 15-year-old boy just like Raheem, or a girl just like Raheem, that will go through these things and hopefully hearing these things from me and not keeping it to myself will help.
“I’d like to know I could have helped someone else that is going through something similar. Not everyone is the same but I want to help them along their journey, that’s what I want to do.
“I always think of the kids from the next generation, you know the kids from London or Manchester or wherever they’re from.”
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