When will this nonsense stop? – Rudiger wants racists punished after alleged abuse

Antonio Rudiger has called for the “couple of idiots” who allegedly racially abused him during Chelsea’s win over Tottenham to be identified and punished.

Rudiger reported hearing racist abuse from the stands after receiving a kick from Son Heung-min in the second half at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, an action that earned the Spurs forward a red card.

Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta took the complaint to referee Anthony Taylor on Sunday and the public address system was used to relay an anti-racism message to supporters.

Germany international Rudiger issued a statement on social media after Chelsea’s 2-0 Premier League victory, urging officials not to let the incident pass without a strong response.

“It is really sad to see racism again at a football match, but I think it’s very important to talk about it in public. If not, it will be forgotten again in a couple of days [as always],” the Chelsea defender tweeted.

“I don’t want to involve Tottenham as an entire club into this situation as I know that just a couple of idiots were the offenders. I got a lot of supportive messages on social media from Spurs fans as well in the last hours – thank you a lot for this.

“I really hope that the offenders will be found and punished soon, and in such a modern football ground like the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with dozens of TV and security cameras, it must be possible to find and subsequently punish them.

“If not, then there must have been witnesses in the stadium who saw and heard the incident. It’s just such a shame that racism still exists in 2019. When will this nonsense stop?”

It is really sad to see racism again at a football match, but I think it’s very important to talk about it in public. If not, it will be forgotten again in a couple of days (as always). (1/4)

— Antonio Rüdiger (@ToniRuediger) December 22, 2019

Tottenham have launched an investigation and vowed to take the “strongest possible action” against any individuals found responsible for racism.

Sunday’s match was the second high-profile Premier League fixture to be stained by alleged instances of racism this month.

On December 7, during the closing stages of Manchester United’s 2-1 derby win at the Etihad Stadium, a Manchester City fan appeared to direct a monkey gesture towards Fred and Jesse Lingard.

Greater Manchester Police arrested a 41-year-old man on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence after the incident. He has since been released on bail pending further enquiries.