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The photo of nine Dutch footballers that sparked a torrent of racist comments (Leroy Fer / Twitter)
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The photo of nine Dutch footballers that sparked a torrent of racist comments (Leroy Fer / Twitter)
Leroy Fer responds to racist abuse
"This does me an awful lot of pain." said Leroy Fer on RTL Late Night last night in response to the racist comments on the selfie he posted on Twitter of him and eight other players in the Dutch national team.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK1_c9x5OFQ
"As a footballer you get, especially in the Eastern Bloc countries, monkey noises from the stands. But what's happened now makes me feel worse. It feels as if people want to say: you do not belong in the Dutch national team... And that's probably the fans who cheered the hardest when I scored at the World Cup against Chili." said Fer according to De Telegraaf.
Helden Online has started a campaign against this kind of racism. They call on all supporters to share the infamous selfie in as many ways as possible with the hashtag #saynotoracism.
"First I want to let you know that i am very happy with the support of the KNVB and the support of other internationals like captain Robin van Persie and Wesley Sneijder, who are very vocal about this. All this touches me deeply." Fer said to Helden Online. "I am very proud to play for the country where I was born and raised. Those racist reaction struck me like a bomb. I am sad and disappointed."
The Public Prosecutor yesterday decided to investigate these racist remarks and to determine whether it is possible to prosecute.