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Raheem Sterling called on more players to denounce racial abuse, but said that he would not be tempted to leave the field to protest, as this would allow the perpetrators to take it away.
The Manchester City striker was commended for his stance against racism in American football. He spoke for the first time on social media last year about how black players are portrayed in the media. Sterling also strongly condemned the abuse suffered by his English team-mate Danny Rose in Montenegro during the European Championship qualifiers last month and called on Uefa to impose harsh penalties so that these ugly scenes will not happen again.
Yet, after Rose admitted that he "could not wait to see football behind him" after suffering several racial abuse during his career, Sterling insisted that more players should follow his example. for the problem to be taken seriously. "It's talking [about] what you have experienced, "he said," Some people have probably fled that, but I am a person when I feel that something is wrong, I want to talk about it, if more people talk, better it will be.
Sterling was talking the same day when Watford captain Troy Deeney announced that he would delete comments from his Instagram account after he and his family had been victims of racial abuse online in the last 24 hours.
Sterling added, "Growing up, my mom always told me that I am a wonderful black kid. I know that. When I hear it [abuse]it's not new to me. I know I am black and proud. I am confident with my body. If you let him touch you – as I said, some people can not stand it, but as I grew up, I was always told to love myself and who I am.
"It's something that's happening [since] before my birth, before my parents, I can only talk about the events that happened to me and those around me and that's all I can do to raise awareness. I am not trying to be someone who leads or something like that. I can just educate people and make higher people do their jobs. "
Yet, asking him if he would consider getting out of it if he was a victim of violence, the 24-year-old said he would prefer to respond with actions on the ground.
"I would not personally agree with that," Sterling said. "At the end of the day, I would rather win the match because it would hurt them even more. They try to make you fall, if you leave the field in a group, then it makes them win. If you score a goal to win the match, it's an even better feeling that beats them. But everyone is different, everyone has their own opinion, they take things with emotion and you have to support everyone. "
Last week, following the racial violence suffered by Juventus striker Moise Kean against Cagliari, Sterling criticized Leonardo Bonucci on social media after the Italian defender suggested his team-mate be "in 50% "responsible for the reaction of supporters to his goal. , commenting that "all you can do now is laugh". But while admitting that Bonucci's words may have been taken out of context, Sterling was categorical: there was no excuse for committing this abuse.
"I could understand what he was saying regarding the players going to the fans, but at the same time, there was no 50-50," Sterling said. "At the time, I did not agree with what he said. There is no reason for anyone to be a victim of racial violence, regardless of whether it marks … it's not an excuse at all. "
City will face Tottenham in the first leg of his Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday night as he pursues his quest for an unprecedented quad. Despite the increased focus on Sterling, Pep Guardiola is keen to ensure that one of his key players is not distracted from the task at hand.
"I think it can happen there. He manages it well, "said Guardiola. "Unfortunately, this is not a problem with football or a specific area. It's a social problem. I never understood why, because Raheem and all the blacks did not choose the color of their skin. No one chooses, not even myself, the color of my skin, why I am different, how we behave, our personalities or how we are or develop as human beings, which makes us different. It is therefore always difficult to understand that in the 21st century we are debating this kind of situation. "
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