Raheem Sterling stand after alleged racist abuse backed by Michail Antonio
"He's showing facts and I honestly believe he's done the right thing," says Antonio of Sterling; Pablo Zabaleta also praises former team-mate for speaking out
Wednesday 12 December 2018 20:10, UK
West Ham winger Michail Antonio has described Raheem Sterling as "brave" for taking a stand against racism.
Antonio, 28, who joined West Ham from Nottingham Forest in 2015, said he too had been abused for the colour of his skin when he was a youngster.
He told Sky Sports News: "I experienced it when I was younger. I was like 10 or 11. A kid called me a monkey.
"I've not experienced it as a professional footballer myself, but it's just one of those things where it happens. It's just how it gets dealt with."
Chelsea have banned four supporters while investigations continue into alleged racist abuse directed at Sterling during last weekend's match against Manchester City.
Colin Wing, from Beckenham, who was caught on camera shouting at Sterling when he retrieved the ball from behind the goalline, admitted his behaviour was "completely out of order" but claimed he directed the word 'Manc' and not 'black' at the player.
Sterling later took to Instagram, suggesting that the media was partly to blame for the way black players are portrayed, and in response to that post, Antonio said: "To be honest, I think he's a very brave man.
"He's showing facts and I honestly believe he's done the right thing.
"You can blame one person, but putting it out there and showing it's not just one person that's doing it, he's saying the media, if we can stop it being in the papers, if we can stop it from the source, that's how it ends."
Sterling's former City team-mate, Pablo Zabaleta, also spoke out in support describing his actions as "brilliant".
He told Sky Sports News: "Sometimes we need to come out and give opinions about it, especially with racism. We need to make sure people respect each other. This is something really important.
"Sometimes for Raheem, it's been really tough. All I can say, because I know him, is that he's a really nice lad... I think it was brave to say what he did on social media".
Zabaleta said Sterling never spoke to him about racism or the way in which he was portrayed in the media, when the pair played together at City. He puts that down to the fact that Sterling's primary focus and love was playing football.
Antonio and Zabaleta spoke to Sky Sports News as they visited children at Newham University Hospital. It forms a part of the work the club is doing to support the local community.
