via the telegraph:

“Anton is my little brother,” he said. “We have grown up together and I looked after him when we were kids.

“If something is going to affect him and hurt him, I am always there as a shoulder to lean on. In moments like this, when things are so public and you can’t really say anything, it can be frustrating.

“For my family, yes, it has been tough. At the end of the day, my brother has not brought any accusations to anyone. He is not the accused.

“But he has had to sit there and take abuse from some small-minded people, which has been very disappointing.” Asked about progress made in fighting racism, Ferdinand said he had been “been fooled a little bit” into thinking it had.

via Guardian

via Chelsea

Chelsea Football Club is concerned to hear that a small number of fans travelling back by train from Norwich were alleged to be involved in racist chants and comment.

We are working to help the relevant authorities identify those responsible and will take the strongest possible action should these allegations prove to be true.

The club, like the overwhelming majority of our fans, strongly believe that all forms of discrimination are abhorrent and have absolutely no place in society.

via ESPN

Edgar Davids has hit out at fellow Ajax supervisory board member Johan Cruyff for his failure to apologise for an alleged racist remark.

The issue has dominated in Holland over the past week, with Davids reiterating his criticism of Cruyff in a television interview.

Cruyff is alleged to have told the former Barcelona and AC Milan midfielder he was only appointed on to the supervisory board due to the colour of his skin. Cruyff has repeatedly stated the remark was not intended to be racist.

Davids has accepted Cruyff’s explanation but believes he was still deserving of an apology.

He told CNN: ”Johan Cruyff made a racist remark but apologise and people will accept it. He admitted it, but he didn’t apologise. And that’s even harder.

”The Dutch press let it slide a little bit, and I think that’s what you have to condemn because when somebody makes a racist remark, that doesn’t make him a racist.

”But you have to say this is the line…you crossed it and you have to apologise. Not only for the person who has been hurt, but also for the people who lived with that racial abuse almost all their lives. And I think that’s unacceptable if you don’t.”

The issue is just one of many currently embroiling Ajax with Cruyff also at the centre of a split in the supervisory board over the appointment of Louis van Gaal as general director.

On top of that, members of the Ajax board – a separate committee to the supervisory board – confirmed last weekend they had relinquished their posts with immediate effect after announcing in March they would be stepping down when successors could be found.

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via Guardian

Johan Cruyff has attempted to explain an allegedly racist comment he made towards Edgar Davids by claiming he was referring to the multicultural make-up of Ajax, the club whose supervisory board the pair sit on.

During a television interview on Sunday, Davids alluded to racist treatment during a meeting of the board and, although Davids was not specific, another board member – Steven ten Have – pointed the finger directly at Cruyff. Ten Have alleged that Cruyff said to Davids: “You are only on the supervisory board because you are black.”

Cruyff has not denied making such a statement, with the 64-year-old former Holland international instead seeking to put his remark in context. “Ajax is a multicultural club and we have found that many talented immigrant players quit when they reach puberty,” he said in his weekly Dutch newspaper column.

“So we wanted to tackle this problem with someone from the same background, who had come through it. And that was Edgar Davids. During one of our fights I pointed that out to him. But it had nothing to do with his skin colour.”

Davids has appeared keen to defuse the situation. He explained: “I never said, and I want to emphasise that, that Johan Cruyff was a racist, despite this unfortunate remark on his part. I would also like to make clear I have deep respect for the soccer player Johan Cruyff.”

Another Ajax official, Rob Been, has claimed Ten Have changed his stance in relation to Cruyff’s treatment of Davids. Been said Ten Have initially regarded Cruyff’s words as “clumsy, but nothing special in the context” before speaking out more vehemently during his own broadcast interview.

In a separate development, Dutch media outlets have reported that Ten Have has received threatening letters on account of his dispute with Cruyff. The reports add that Ten Have has hired personal security and changed his designated driver.

Ajax have not commented specifically on the affair but have admitted there is a split within the supervisory board. The appointment of Louis van Gaal as the club’s new general manager, apparently without Cruyff’s knowledge, has triggered internal discord. There are also doubts over Cruyff’s position.

An Ajax statement read: “At the meeting for members council and [the] board of Ajax, with the complete advisory board present, it was established that a breach of trust occurred between Johan Cruyff on one side, and Steven ten Have, Edgar Davids, Marjan Olfers and Paul Römer on the other. During the meeting, Cruyff confirmed that he was no longer prepared to work towards repairing this breach.”

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Sepp Blatter’s comments may cause Emirates Airlines to pull sponsorship

The Daily Mail is reporting that: “A day when Prime Minister David Cameron condemned Blatter and Minister for Sport Hugh Robertson called for him to stand down, claiming that ‘for the sake of the game he should go’, the airline Emirates told Sportsmail they may not renew their £122million deal when it expires in 2014.

Emirates, one of FIFA’s six official partners who is concerned about their brand being damaged, first by FIFA in the wake of the cash-for-votes scandal and now in Sepp Blatters most recent act, dismissing racism as a mere problem on the football field that is solved and all over when the players shake hands after the final whistle.

An Emirates spokesman said: ‘Emirates continues to closely watch developments within FIFA ahead of discussions on the extension of our partnership beyond 2014. However, we have no role in the management of the organization.’

Back during the cash-for-votes scandal, Emirates said: ‘We are seriously thinking about not renewing our partnership with FIFA beyond 2014. We don’t get into politics but we believe the situation with FIFA went beyond an internal problem and became much bigger.’

image source

Rio Ferdinand v. Sepp Blatter, who ya got?!

As FIFA President Sepp Blatter was flat out denying racism in the game of soccer, and then vowing to fight the good fight against it, Rio Ferdinand was paying close attention and decided to go in on twitter and call out Sepp Blatter for his comments :: @RioFerdy5

Check out Rio’s twitter rants after the jump….

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FIFA President Sepp Blatter talks to CNN’s Pedro Pinto about FIFA reforms and whether Racism in football is a problem……

Check out Sepp Blatter’s Comment on Racism in the Game after the Jump…….