Ruud Gullit has voiced his opposition to UEFA's ruling that players at Euro 2012 who leave the pitch due to racist abuse will be booked.
Ex-Dutch ace insists players should have right to leave the pitch
Ruud Gullit has voiced his opposition to UEFA's ruling that players at Euro 2012 who leave the pitch in response to racist abuse will receive a booking.
The issue of racism in host nations Poland and Ukraine has come to the fore ahead of the tournament, with the Holland team subjected to monkey noises as they trained in Krakow on Wednesday.
Italy's Manchester City forward Mario Balotelli said he would walk off the pitch if he heard racist abuse coming from the stands but UEFA president Michel Platini warned it is up to the referee to take the teams off, and that players who took matters into their own hands would be punished.
Ruling
Former Holland midfield star and
Sky Sports pundit Gullit backed the power given to match officials but insists players who are targeted must have the opportunity to make a personal stand.
He told the
Daily Mail: "The monkey sounds that greeted the Holland team at their training session this week were an embarrassment to the Polish authorities. The problem of racial abuse of footballers is now on everyone's radar and it has to be dealt with.
"UEFA have given referees the power to stop a game and I am behind that. The problem needs to be tackled straight away, so players shouldn't just keep quiet and play on like in my day.
"It has been suggested by the UEFA president Michel Platini that players would be booked for leaving the field as an act of retaliation and defiance. That, in my opinion, is the wrong message.
"If a player is racially insulted, he should have the right to leave the field. I would like to think we can trust referees to take everyone off but, if the officials are not supporting the players correctly, then the individual should act. The message this would send out: 'we will not tolerate this abuse'."
Gullit feels awareness of racism has improved since his playing days, when he admits he felt unable to openly confront the issue.
"When I played, I received racial abuse but I was just one of a few black players and we weren't backed up by the authorities," he said.
"I used to ignore the abuse and felt powerless to change attitudes. My only weapon was my performances on the pitch.
"We are beyond that now though. We just have to hope that racism doesn't haunt this tournament but that, if it does, the response is strong. The players need the support of UEFA and the football authorities need the support of the police."
Czech Republic defender Theodor Gebre Selassie was the victim of monkey chants during his country's European Championship defeat against Russia, according to anti-racism campaigners.
The FARE (Football Against Racism in Europe) network confirmed on Saturday one of their observers at Friday night's Group A game in Wroclaw heard "fleeting" racist abuse of Gebre Selassie.
Abuse
Asked if it included monkey chants, FARE chief executive Piara Powar said: "Our observer reported descriptions of that nature.
"It was directed at the Czech Republic's only black player."
Powar said the abuse came from a "small section of the crowd" and admitted: "It may not be easy to pull together evidence for a case to be brought."
