Football assoc. asks prosecutor to investigate Dutch racism

Following exceedingly racist reactions to a selfie posted by footballer Leroy Fer, the Dutch national football association, KNVB, confirmed they contacted the public prosecutor to investigate the response for possible crimes. The football association waited until after Sunday’s European Championship qualifier against Latvia before making their decision, to prevent any unnecessary distractions amongst teammates. “The KNVB finds the response to the selfie Leroy Fer took to be distasteful. Football is for everyone, and the Dutch team rightly connects many Dutch people to each other,” the association wrote in a statement on their website.

After the match, Robin van Persie and Wesley Sneijder were very vocal against the racist reaction. “It is shocking that such a thing still happens in 2014″, van Persie stated. “This should be dealt with harshly. It’s time to set an example.” Fer posted the image of himself and eight other non-white teammates to his own Instagram and Twitter accounts over the weekend. The images were republished elsewhere over the weekend with many users comparing the players to Zwarte Piet, and referencing other racial stereotypes, like monkeys and questioning if the players’ were authentically Dutch. “The KNVB and the players also believe that there should be action taken against the reactions by the public prosecutor. All available evidence is, or was, online,” the statement reads. “If it is necessary that the KNVB and the players give additional testimony, that will be done.”