Chelsea boss Rosenior insists those guilty of racism 'should not be in the game'

[p]Play in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/real-madrid/W8mj7MDD/"]Real Madrid[/a]'s clash away to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/benfica/zBkyuyRI/"]Benfica[/a] on Tuesday was stopped for 10 minutes after the Spanish giants' forward [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vinicius-junior/CbwQ4Mws/"]Vinicius[/a] told the referee that the hosts' [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/prestianni-gianluca/C2bbqoRj/"]Gianluca Prestianni[/a] had called him a "monkey" during a confrontation.[/p][p]The Argentine midfielder, who covered his mouth during the argument after Vinicius had celebrated a goal dancing in front of the home fans during the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/benfica-zBkyuyRI/real-madrid-W8mj7MDD/?mid=WxePtoiU"]first leg of a knockout phase play-off[/a], denies the allegation.[/p][p][b]European football governing body UEFA announced on Wednesday it would investigate "allegations of discriminatory behaviour", with Brazilian star Vinicius repeatedly subjected to racist abuse since joining Real in 2018.[/b][/p][p]Rosenior, while not commenting on the case directly, urged football authorities to take stronger action against racism.[/p][p][b]"It's upsetting,"[/b] he said Thursday. [b]"There's context that needs to be had in terms of this situation. What I will say, any form of racism in society is unacceptable. I cannot speak about an incident where an investigation is ongoing.[/b][/p][p][b]"What I would say is when you see a player upset how Vinicius Junior was upset, normally they're upset for a reason. I've been racially abused myself."[/b][/p][p]Rosenior, who is of mixed heritage, added: [b]"If any coach, player or manager is ever found guilty of racism, they shouldn't be in the game. It's as simple as that for me."[/b][/p][p]Rosenior wrote an open letter to US president Donald Trump in June 2020 in the days after the murder by a police officer of George Floyd in Minneapolis, an event that inspired the global Black Lives Matter movement.[/p][p]In it, he referred to "an unjust, corrupt and fundamentally prejudiced society" in America that was a part of a centuries-old legacy of racism.[/p][p]During last week's FA Cup game away to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/hull-city/S66R0t75/"]Hull[/a], home supporters chanted homophobic slurs directed at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/chelsea/4fGZN2oK/"]Chelsea[/a] fans.[/p][embed guid="7f84ee5c-7848-4aee-a8a4-6e53435d0dc3" url="https://x.com/ChelseaFC/status/2024245540880539842" social-type="twitter" /][p]Rosenior, speaking ahead of Chelsea's game at home to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/burnley/z3dmTMMO/"]Burnley[/a] in the Premier League on Saturday, said: [b]"There are a lot of things need to change in our society.[/b][/p][p][b]"I'm not talking about football. There's a lot of division. There's a lot of people in the media make prejudgements on people based on sexual orientation, what country they come from, what religion they are, what colour skin they have.[/b][/p][p][b]"It sickens me, to be honest. It's a wider debate than just football. People need to be held a lot more accountable than they are in terms of social media, in terms of the press, to make sure these things are stamped out."[/b][/p]