The Harry Hotspur blog has sought to diligently cover the allegations of racist abuse made by Chelsea captain Antonio Rudiger. Of all the unwelcome nonsense that can associate itself with football, racism is particularly nasty.
The THST has been one of the few voices to now press for a swift conclusion to a situation that has the potential to tar Tottenham Hotspur football club with a reputation that will prove impossible to shift.
Over a week ago, Rudiger claimed to have been racially abused by at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Specifically that Spurs fan/s in the crowd near to the player were making monkey noises towards the Blues’ Captain.
A full investigation was undertaken by Spurs and the police and yet very little was unearthed beyond a statement from THFC advising that their efforts to identify anyone responsible had been inconclusive.
What did come to light in the aftermath was that all fans passing comment online were horrified, however they were also confused as to why frame by frame CCTV analysis – even using lip readers – had yielded no information.
Indeed, one fan penned an eloquent summary of concerns to Donna Cullen (Spurs Director), Bruce Buck (Chelsea Chairman), Nigel Adams (Minister for Sport), David Lammy (MP for Tottenham), Mark Bullingham (CEO of the FA), Kick It Out, the Premier League, the Press Association and the joint chair people of the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust.
Most recently, Oliver Holt published this piece for the Daily Mail, suggesting a conspiracy of silence.
Regrettably, Holt failed to fact check and a similar allegation made by Rudiger in 2017, that time against Roma fans, was not proven as Holt inferred. UEFA dropped the charges, again, due to an absence of evidence.
Racism does exist in football, and the sooner it is finally stamped out, the better society will be for it. However, the existence of compelling evidence is not negotiable.
The MSM do not like Facts getting in the way of a good story .