Frank Lampard says he would back players if they walked off pitch over racial abuse
Antonio Rudiger said he suffered racial abuse during the match against Tottenham, and play was suspended.
Monday 23 December 2019 13:00, UK
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has said he would back his players walking off the pitch if they are racially abused during a match.
His statement comes as Antonio Rudiger said he was subjected to racist chanting during Chelsea's 2-0 Premier League derby against Tottenham.
In the match on Sunday, play was halted by the referee while announcements reminded fans there is "no place for racism in the game".
But now Lampard has told his players they would have his support if they wanted to leave the pitch.
He said: "In terms of walking off the pitch, I think that has to feel right in the moment.
"And until that moment comes I don't want to guess what I would do. It would depend what the players were feeling and saying.
"But I would be absolutely, 100% behind them if (they wanted to walk off), and I'm sure it would be a group decision. But we're not there yet, so it's hypothetical to a degree.
"All I know is that Toni Rudiger said he heard some racist chanting or comments, and I haven't had chance for an individual conversation with Toni.
"Of course I'll support Toni as we would support any of our players, or in fact any opposition players. Wherever this happens it needs to be dealt with.
"If it happened and it's fact, then punishment is needed and it needs to be strong."
Former player Gary Neville also addressed racism in the game on Sky Sports.
He said: "I mentioned it a couple of weeks ago that we have just had a general election in this country where the leaders of both main parties are accused constantly over the past month of fuelling racism and accepting racism in their parties.
"If it is accepted in the highest office in the country - we aren't talking at a micro level, we are talking at an enormous level.
"It is the same here today, which you could say is down to one individual person but it is a far bigger problem than that and something needs to happen quickly.
"Ultimately we need to empower the players to walk off the pitch and stop the entertainment while it is happening."
The Professional Footballers' Association said it was "dismayed and disgusted" after claims of racist abuse at the match on Sunday, and called for a government inquiry into racism and the rise in hate crime in football.
Sports Minister Nigel Adams is due to meet with Tottenham Hotspurs on Monday.
He told Paste BN he takes this issue very seriously and he wants to use the conversations to get to the bottom of this incident and discuss the next steps. He will issue a statement later on Monday.
Boris Johnson's official spokesman said the government would be monitoring the authorities' response and is ready to take further steps if required.
The spokesman said: "Racism of any kind has no place in football or anywhere else and we must confront this vile behaviour.
"Clearly there remains more work to be done by the football authorities in tackling this issue and we are committed to working with them on this to stamp it out.
"The FA, Premier League and English Football League have significantly stepped up their efforts, but we expect them to continue to prioritise this issue and to consult with both players and supporter groups, and we will be monitoring how the football authorities implement their plans through the season.
"We will continue working with the authorities on this, including the Professional Footballers' Association and we don't rule out taking further steps if required."
Tottenham have already begun their own investigation after fans were warned three times about racist behaviour at their home Premier League match against Chelsea.
It is the latest in a string of racist incidents at England international and English league football matches.
Referee Anthony Taylor implemented FIFA's protocol for dealing with discrimination in games.
Tottenham said it was "conducting a thorough investigation" and vowed to take the "strongest possible action, including stadium bans".
It added: "Any form of racism is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our stadium."
Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta said: "Antonio came to me and said there had been racism towards him so I told the referee."
Azpilicueta said he was "concerned" about such behaviour, adding: "We have to stop it. We have to eradicate it as there's no place for it in football and in life."