Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has called for the permanent expulsion of any individual found guilty of racism in football, describing the experience of being racially abused on a pitch as "the worst feeling you can ever possibly imagine."
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Rosenior addressed the ongoing fallout from Tuesday’s Champions League clash between Real Madrid and Benfica. The match was halted for 11 minutes after Madrid forward VinÃcius Júnior accused Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni of using a racial slur.
“If any player or any coach or any manager is ever found guilty of racism, they shouldn't be in the game. It's as simple as that for me,” Rosenior said, according to The Guardian. The Chelsea boss, who has been vocal about his own experiences with discrimination, emphasised that such behaviour is "unacceptable" in both society and sport.
The incident in Lisbon triggered UEFA’s anti-racism protocol after VinÃcius Júnior reported being called a "monkey" by Prestianni. Real Madrid has since submitted what it calls "all available evidence" to UEFA investigators. While Prestianni has denied the allegations, calling them a "misunderstanding", UEFA has officially opened a disciplinary investigation into the matter.
Rosenior noted that while he could not comment on the specifics of the active investigation, the visible distress of the players involved spoke volumes. "When you see a player upset, how VinÃcius Júnior was upset, normally they're upset for a reason," Rosenior added.