It’s always difficult to figure out how to react to this kind of thing. On one hand it should be the standard response from all clubs when their fans display racist behaviour, but on the other the fact that swift, decisive action gets widely praised continues to show how often football still seems to get this wrong.
That’s not to say Man City shouldn’t be praised for their actions here, we need the big clubs to set an example and this does exactly that.
READ MORE: Video: Man City fan spotted mocking Man Utd star with RACIST monkey chant
Stan Collymore took to Twitter to praise the club for their statement following racist actions from a fan during the game:
Short, sharp, unambiguous.
Well done @ManCity pic.twitter.com/BWxcmJp7BU
— Stan Collymore (@StanCollymore) December 7, 2019
The TV footage clearly showed a City fan making monkey gestures towards the pitch. The shot did make it look like it was being directed towards Fred but it’s not clear if anyone else was in the vicinity – in all honesty, it doesn’t really matter who it was aimed at, it has no place in football.
Hopefully the individuals are found and banned as a bare minimum, it’s a situation where these types of people aren’t real fans so any City supporters in that area or know who it is shouldn’t feel any shame in speaking up and ensuring they are dealt with.
It will take a while for football to help solve this issue, it needs leadership from all involved and everybody to set an example – Man City have shown exactly how to deal with it in a quick and decisive manner.