Wijnaldum Asks UEFA To Suspend Matches Where Players Are Racially Abused

Netherlands captain Georginio Wijnaldum has stated that it is UEFA’s responsibility to suspend matches in which players are racially abused.

The Netherlands will face the Czech Republic in the Euro 2020 Round of 16 on Sunday at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, the stadium where Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema were both racially abused during France’s fixture with Hungary, and Wijnaldum said that UEFA must step up in those situations in order to protect players.

“UEFA should be there to protect the players on the pitch, it should take the decision for the players,” Wijnaldum said in a press conference on Thursday.

“UEFA should take a leading role and it should be them who say ‘if this happens, the match is suspended’.”

Wijnaldum added that whilst he had never been subject to racial abuse during a match, he would approach the referee if it were to occur.

“I have never experienced it before and I hope to never experience it,” Wijnaldum continued.

“I don’t know how I would react. In the past, I thought that I would not leave the pitch, but now I think differently. In those moments you have to approach the referee with your teammates and make the decision.”

Wijnaldum will wear pro-LGBT armband

Wijnaldum went on to express his willingness to wear the pro-LGBT armband in the match in Budapest on Sunday.

“Everyone should be free to be who they are,” Wijnaldum said.

The match in Budapest takes place against the LGBT rights controversy in Hungary that has intensified in recent days.

UEFA rejected a request from Munich mayor Dieter Reiter to light the Allianz Stadium up in rainbow colours, following a law being passed in Hungary prohibiting the circulation of content in schools promoting homosexuality and gender change.