England manager Gareth Southgate condemned the Montenegrin racists who subjected his black players to constant abuse during an emphatic victory and promised to report it to UEFA.
A night that should have belonged to the brilliance of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Raheem Sterling was wretchedly overshadowed. The pair starred in a comprehensive win with goals by Ross Barkley (2), Michael Keane, Harry Kane and Sterling, but from early on in the Euro 2020 qualifier, it was apparent that bigots had targeted the two wingers and left back Danny Rose.
Southgate said: ‘We’ll definitely deal with it in the right way. We’ve got to make sure we support our players.’
Hudson-Odoi, fearless on his first England start, had a lighter thrown at him during the second half. Sterling pulled his ears in a defiant gesture to the crowd after he had scored the goal that completed the Group A rout.
Sterling later tweeted: ‘Best way to silence the haters (and yeah I mean racists)#2019 #getsomeeducation.’
The most vivid flashpoint came in injury time when Danny Rose was subjected to monkey chanting after he was booked for a foul when his frustrations boiled over. This is the second time he has been racially abused representing England, the first being in Serbia for the Under 21s in 2012.
Southgate said: ‘We had an excellent performance and we’ve got an 18-year-old (Hudson-Odoi) being interviewed after the game and he’s having to respond to what’s happened when his evening should be about the joy of his full debut.
‘I’m told there were things in the early part of the game as well, though I didn’t hear it then. I certainly heard it when Danny Rose was booked. It’s unacceptable.’
Hudson-Odoi spoke to beIN Sports about the experience and said: ‘I don’t think discrimination should be anywhere. We are equal. We have to play a fair game and enjoy the moment but when you’re hearing stuff like that from the fans it’s not right.
‘It’s unacceptable and hopefully UEFA will deal with it properly because when I went over there me and Rosey heard it; all the monkey stuff. We just have to keep our heads, keep a strong mentality and hopefully Rosey’s OK as well.’
-Dailymail