|
Former United States men's national team player DaMarcus Beasley said that FIFA isn't doing anything to combat racism in the sport and it is "disheartening" that players are still enduring abuse. Speaking with ESPN's Herculez Gomez, Beasley recounted to his former USMNT teammate about when he suffered racist chants by fans in Montenegro during a Champions League qualifying game in August 2007. Beasley and his Rangers teammate Jean-Claude Darcheville endured the chants in a 1-0 victory over FK Zeta. Beasley scored the goal in that game, his first for the Scottish side following a move from Manchester City. "To hear monkey chants while you're playing, every single time you get the ball you feel rage, you want to do something more than just play the game," said Beasley. Beasley, a mainstay for the national team and the only American to play in four World Cups, retired in 2019 after a club career that saw him play abroad in the Netherlands, England, Scotland, and Mexico. He last played for the Houston Dynamo in MLS. Beasley said that FIFA has not combated the issue more directly and added that the incident in 2007 "was sweeped under the table." "For me, I feel for players that are still getting that kind of treatment," Beasley added. Beasley lamented that "it's gonna take [a player] going into the stands and knocking somebody out" if the sport doesn't do more to prevent racist acts. Tottenham Hotspur's Eric Dier leapt into the stands to confront a spectator at Norwich City earlier this month who had insulted his brother. There were also allegations that a fan had also racially insulted a Spurs player.
|
