'Nothing better than actions': Kylian Mbappe on fight against racism
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"Of course, I am proud of what was done. A lot of things were said but in fact, there's nothing better than actions," the 21-year-old Mbappe said after PSG beat Basaksehir 5-1 to top Champions League Group H.
PSG star Kylian Mbappe feels that it is time for action against racism. The French striker staged a walkout and followed Istanbul Basaksehir off the pitch in protest after the Turkish club accused a match official of racism on Tuesday.
However, the match was resumed on Wednesday. Three onfield referees took the knee in protest against racism ahead of the match.
"Of course, I am proud of what was done. A lot of things were said but in fact, there's nothing better than actions," the 21-year-old Mbappe said after PSG beat Basaksehir 5-1 to top Champions League Group H.
The UEFA Champions League witnessed an unprecedented incident as players from Paris Saint-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir walked off the pitch amid allegations of racism by fourth officials on Tuesday.
The entire row erupted after Istanbul Basaksehir assistant coach Pierre Webo – a former Cameroon international – was shown a red card during a fierce face-off on the touchline with staff from the Turkish club appearing to accuse the officials of using a racist term.
While many footballing stars across the world chipped in with their support on social media platforms, Turkish President Recent Tayyip Erdogan said he “strongly” condemned the incident. UEFA announced that it would open a ‘thorough investigation’ on the incident.
Even Paris Saint-Germain stars Kylian Mbappe and Neymar were seen having a chat with the match officials as the duo looked stunned by the usage of words by the fourth referee.
"We are tired, we don't want to go through this (racism incidents) again," Mbappe said. "We're all human beings and this was intolerable. People are fed up and we had to do something.
"Yesterday we were not disappointed not to play. We made that decision. We were proud. The more you let these things slide, the more you're led to believe that it's normal. But no, it's not normal."
PSG qualified into round of 16 after a thumping victory over the Turkish club. Neymar's hattrick and Mbappe's brace helped the French club qualify with ease.