Frank Lampard has promised to back his Chelsea players if they ever ask to walk off the pitch amid any future racist abuse.
Antonio Rudiger claimed he was subjected to racist chanting during Chelsea’s 2-0 Premier League derby win at Tottenham.
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Referee Anthony Taylor halted play at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while announcements reminded fans there is “no place for racism in the game”.
And after the match, the German asked: “When will this nonsense stop?”
In a series of tweets on Sunday evening, he said: “I really hope that the offenders will be found and punished soon, and in such a modern football ground like the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with dozens of TV and security cameras, it must be possible to find and subsequently punish them.
“If not, then there must have been witnesses in the stadium who saw and heard the incident. It’s just such a shame that racism still exists in 2019. When will this nonsense stop?”
Chelsea boss Lampard lamented the situation, admitting he would support his players walking off if subjected to a future racism storm.
“In terms of walking off the pitch, I think that has to feel right in the moment,” said Lampard.
“And until that moment comes I don’t want to guess what I would do. It would depend what the players were feeling and saying.
“But I would be absolutely, 100 per cent behind them if (they wanted to walk off), and I’m sure it would be a group decision. But we’re not there yet, so it’s hypothetical to a degree.
“All I know is that Toni Rudiger said he heard some racist chanting or comments, and I haven’t had chance for an individual conversation with Toni.
“Of course I’ll support Toni as we would support any of our players, or in fact any opposition players. Wherever this happens it needs to be dealt with.
“If it happened and it’s fact, then punishment is needed and it needs to be strong.”
Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho – who sarcastically said he hoped Rudiger “recovers quick from the broken ribs” after the incident which saw Heung-min Son sent off – backed referee Taylor’s stance in halting the match.
“I’ve not much to say apart from it’s something that saddens me,” said Mourinho.
“I hate racism in society, I hate racism in football, I’m disappointed that things like that can still happen.
“But the referee stopped the game, spoke with the players, spoke with the coaches, spoke with the captains.
“As soon as I knew the reasons why the game was stopped I obviously understood and accepted it.”
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