Patrice Evra speaks out on racist abuse and how to combat it
Arsenal legend Cesc Fabregas says he was targeted over his skin colour when he played for Barcelona: ‘I had a problem with the police telling me I was a monkey. I’m not a monkey, I’m a human being.’
The former Manchester United captain was targeted when he played for the Catalan club in the early years of his career and was subsequently ostracised and even attacked by fans.
He tells Sky Sports:
On the incident with the police when he signed for Barcelona:
“The first year I played for Barcelona was terrible. But that was the first time I was attacked by them — they were trying to get rid of me. They said “we will sell you or we will rape you”. Some people actually started attacking me and spitting on me.
On how he was targeted:
“I was attacked because of my skin colour — many of my friends were attacking me and they weren’t even from Barcelona. What was worse was they [the police] asked me the colour of my eyes. I had a problem with the police telling me I was a monkey and I was not. I’m a human being – I was born in Portugal but my parents moved to Barcelona. I’m not a monkey or a human. I’m not a dog – I’m an animal. If someone doesn’t like the colour of my eyes they can look elsewhere.”
On how Barcelona fans treated him:
“My friend called me to tell me I was racist. They made me feel like an idiot. They didn’t understand me. There were a lot of fans who supported me, and that wasn’t nice for me, but I put a smile [on my face].
“I would say many of them were very kind to me. Now I’m a big man and I don’t have any problems with friends. I don’t have any friends like that. I don’t have any problem with anyone. I don’t have any problem with the police, or any other people who aren