Boateng walk-off alone will not end racism - Seedorf

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Clarence Seedorf and Kevin-Prince Boateng

AC Milan legend Clarence Seedorf says football will not kick out the racists by players walking off the pitch.

His comments come after midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng led his Milan team off in the 25th minute of a friendly at Pro Patria on Thursday after being racially abused by fans.

Seedorf said: "I don't see it as such a positive thing because [it] empowers more and more of this behaviour."

Patrick Vieira and Rio Ferdinand were among those to back Boateng.

Speaking on Twitter,external-link World Cup-winner Vieira said: "It was brave of Kevin-Prince Boateng to do what he did and it was the right thing. We need to stand up and stand together. Well done."

Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand tweeted:external-link "Fair play to him. Well done #UefaStandUp"

Manchester City skipper Vincent Kompany tweeted:external-link "Act of racism against Boateng during Milan's friendly. How about becoming extremely intolerant towards racist idiots? They need to be told."

But Seedorf, 36, who now plays for Botafogo in Brazil, would have preferred Ghana international Boateng to employ a different approach against those chanting abuse.

"They should just be identified and kicked out of the stadium," he said. "Leave the 90% that were enjoying the match and finish the game."

Seedorf added: "If Boateng was able to identify the whole corner, you just kick the whole corner out, That is how I think it should be handled.

"Walking away? Yes, you send a signal. But this has happened more than once and I don't think it really changes all that much. We are just empowering that little group with their behaviour to make this mess."

Seedorf played for Milan from 2002 to 2012 and won the Champions League with the side in 2003 and 2007.

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418 comments

  • Comment posted by Dad of Mad twins, at 11:16 4 Jan 2013

    Seedorf is right in theory in that clubs, UEFA and other bodies should deal with these things but the fact is they fail miserably on every level. It leaves the abused players little option but to deal with matters on a personal level. It has got people talking again so must be on Platini's agenda but probably not. I have a great deal of respect for Boateng's team mates for joining him!

  • Comment posted by kris, at 11:10 4 Jan 2013

    I think Seedorf isn't so much saying that Boateng was wrong but noting that it may set a dangerous precedent. After all the words he uses are whether Boateng's actions were a positive thing. Boateng can still have done the right thing, but his actions may have negative implications if, for instance, a player was to walk off blaming racist abuse just because his side was losing a match.

  • Comment posted by veekay1, at 11:04 4 Jan 2013

    I can see both arguments here. As I understand it the last official statement on this was that the player walking off would be booked.

    Uefa/Fifa need to stop paying lip service to this disturbing return to the attitude of the 70's and stand full square with these professionals who are simply at their place of work and being harassed for no good reason. Isn't this obvious?

  • Comment posted by Yermish, at 11:09 4 Jan 2013

    If more walkouts happened due to racist chanting and abuse, I believe that the fans who aren't causing the trouble will be quicker to get trouble makers removed. Well done to Boateng for not putting up with it.

  • Comment posted by U3557677, at 10:58 4 Jan 2013

    If it's the only way to stamp it out then so be it. FIFA seem completely impotent with the matter.

  • Comment posted by U15554932, at 10:59 4 Jan 2013

    How is it wrong?!

    If someone doesn't want to parade around on a football pitch with people hurling racist abuse at them they shouldn't have to.

    If he'd have stayed on the pitch it's not as if the abuse would have stopped..

  • Comment posted by DirtySnowman, at 11:49 4 Jan 2013

    Turning a blind eye has been going on for too long and I'm glad players are now starting to take matters into their own hands. It is fine Seedorf saying that corner should have been ejected but is there a single example where a section of the crowd was ejected. Fans, even those not involved in chanting need to know that failure to deal with racists will cost them the opportunity to watch football.

  • Comment posted by U15560683, at 11:48 4 Jan 2013

    Im not surprised at all,since the fifa president believed shaking hands is enough punishment when racially abused. i quarantee you this team will be fined only i few thousands of Euros if not hundreds. The whole system in my opinion is corrupt( uefa and fifa). we live in a football world where wearing brand name under wear is considered more offensive/dangeruos/punishable than racism

  • Comment posted by U2950774, at 14:30 4 Jan 2013

    if the player can hear racit chants from the pitch, fans standing adjacent to the morons shouting it can also hear it. Why dont fans do more about this themselves instead of expecting the authorities to do something. If you hear an idiot shouting something abusive, rebuke him (or her) in public and shame them in front of their imbecile friends. We can only fight racism together!

  • Comment posted by U15321856, at 13:29 4 Jan 2013

    @ 81.SwampPuppet
    "And the Beeb are straight in. They love it. Oooh, racism. Lets fling some mud and show everyone how PC and superior we are"

    So how do you explain the blanket coverage of this on Sky yesterday? Could it be that this is a story that has repercussions for football on a global scale and that Boateng's action could finally lead to FIFA/UEFA taking meaningful action at last?

  • Comment posted by hosteen, at 12:10 4 Jan 2013

    At 126. Haha haaaa so predictable... I knew you would say that about the Arab spring hence I put the old lady story in to give you something you could comprehend!!!! It's NOT exclusively left wing to abhor racism.....

  • Comment posted by yinka, at 11:56 4 Jan 2013

    seerdoff is wrong. kicking them out does not work and his stance is what has kept this nonsense going for decades. when players start walking off, the "90%" enjoying the game will not tolerate the minority racists; then all will enjoy the game

  • Comment posted by RBLondon, at 11:53 4 Jan 2013

    if it happened to me i would walk off, would walk out of my office if it happened at my work, wouldnt care if people thought it was right or wrong!
    someone said they earn enough, my question is, whats the threshold, 50k/year, 1m/year, 10m/year? its not the same as genearl abuse as genearl abuse is just that, general, racism is targeting for a very partiucular and sensitive reason

  • Comment posted by U14670947, at 11:49 4 Jan 2013

    Villeneuve - they dominate the news because we are trying as a country to address them, not sweep them under the carpet like the majority of Europe. The UK has not rid itself of racists but has come a long way. Racist behaviour is in the extreme minority and completely unacceptable to most. We are light years ahead of the majority of Europe and will continue to improve. Comprende?

  • Comment posted by maccaynwa, at 10:58 4 Jan 2013

    Seedorf raises an intresting point but Boateng did the right thing as from what I saw majority of the fans supported his reaction.

  • Comment posted by modharry, at 23:13 4 Jan 2013

    Nobody wants to stop banter between fans English ,Scots, Irish or individual clubs however monkey chants are racist pure and simple & not acceptable in 21st century football. All the black players are asking is for that to stop across Europe is that to much to ask Fifa Uefa get it sorted or you deserve the anarchy walk offs will bring.

  • Comment posted by Nio1, at 21:36 4 Jan 2013

    389 - it is sad, but indicative of our society. My whole point is discrimination in any form regards someone being different is wrong. It is as offensive regardless if you are black, Jewish, Irish, scots, polish, scouse,manc....sad it goes on. I suspect in 20 years time our newly arrived Eastern European cousins will be experiencing the same....sadly...it's a problem inherent in society...

  • Comment posted by keepcalmandlistentome, at 21:29 4 Jan 2013

    Racism is difference in opportunity and difference in the way people act towards others.Therefore we should look more at black managers not getting coaching jobs despite qualifications than random bits of abuse from the crowd. In the UK, people are clearly being too easily offended by this as we don't have a real problem with this and its the media fueled by idiots like Rio that are over-hyping it

  • Comment posted by maybetomorrow, at 17:47 4 Jan 2013

    I don't agree with Seedorf at all. And I'm glad Boateng has come out and said he'd do it again. These fans need to know that theyre destroying the very game that these players love by chanting racist remarks or derogatory things.
    It really is time to clamp down on it and as the saying goes it only takes one idiot to ruin it for everyone else.

  • Comment posted by grahame, at 16:53 4 Jan 2013

    It seems if you insult 1 black man,you insult all black men, that kind of solidarity is good to see. No shrug of the shoulders because it is not aimed at 1 person but a race is nonsense. It has to stop and the fightback has to start somewhere. Slag off footballing abilities (banter) but what is the reason for all the personal hatred remarks aimed at players? All it does is incite even more hatred

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