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23.02.2007 11:56
Thuram, against racism in football
On Thursday Lillian Thuram was a participant in an event to discuss racism in football stadiums. The player was critical of people in stadiums who discriminate against players because of the colour of their skin.
L’Institut Francès de Barcelona was the venue for the meeting of a number of personalities related to the world of football to speak about racist activities inside football stadiums. The event was organised in collaboration with the Fundació del FC Barcelona. Participating were Barça player Lillian Thuram along with journalist Marius Carol, the director of the foundation Lander Unzueta and French sociologist Michel Wierviorka.
A minority
Thuram acknowledged, “those who shout racist slogans in the stadiums are a minority. That’s true in both Spain and Italy where the problem is worse, although they are still a minority”. In the face of such behaviour the Barça defender believes that “we must learn from what they have achieved in the United Kingdom regarding the eradication of violence from stadiums”.
Barça, an example
During the debate, the Frenchman praised the achievements of FC Barcelona in aiding the integration of immigrants and footballers: “Football is a factor in integration into society. For children to have a coloured idol such as Ronaldinho and Eto’o helps them to grow up having learned about the values of equality”. Since his arrival at Barça, Thuram has never felt discriminated against due to the colour of his skin.
Belief in the comeback
During the event, Lillian Thuram also spoke about Wednesday’s game against Liverpool. The
French defender accepted that “after the game the morale was low, but now all the players
believe that a 0-2 result is possible”. Thuram also said that the team does not need to
change its style of play: “As of now we are top of the league and we also won the Champions
playing this way. We don’t have to change our attacking style”.
