Uncle Spielberg
Well-known member
Netherlands' black players were allegedly subjected to racist abuse during their open training session in the Polish city of Krakow.
Dutch captain Mark van Bommel branded the monkey chants as "a real disgrace".
Van Bommel said: "You need to open your ears. If you did hear it, and don't want to hear it, that is even worse."
Uefa officials said an incident had occurred but it was a protest about Krakow not being given any Euro 2012 matches, The Times reported.
“We will take it up with Uefa and if it happens at a match we will talk to the referee and ask him to take us off the field
”
Mark van Bommel
The news comes on the opening day of the tournament, which is being co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine.
A BBC documentary had recently raised fears that Euro 2012 could be dogged by the issue of racism.
The Dutch players were reportedly targeted by Polish fans as they began their practice session at the Stadion Miejski.
Van Bommel responded by leading the squad to the far side of the pitch.
The abuse comes just a day after they had visited Nazi German concentration camp Auschwitz, which is nearby.
Van Bommel said: "It is a real disgrace, especially after getting back from Auschwitz, that you are confronted with this.
"We will take it up with Uefa and if it happens at a match we will talk to the referee and ask him to take us off the field."
Martin Lipton, from the Daily Mirror, is in Krakow and suggested there was a large number of Polish fans involved in the abuse.
He told BBC Radio 5 live: "As they were doing a lap on the pitch around 500 of the local fans started doing monkey chants at the black players.
"It became worse on the second lap, at which point Van Bommel took the players to the other side of the stadium. It's the only story in the Dutch press today."
Dutch captain Mark van Bommel branded the monkey chants as "a real disgrace".
Van Bommel said: "You need to open your ears. If you did hear it, and don't want to hear it, that is even worse."
Uefa officials said an incident had occurred but it was a protest about Krakow not being given any Euro 2012 matches, The Times reported.
“We will take it up with Uefa and if it happens at a match we will talk to the referee and ask him to take us off the field
”
Mark van Bommel
The news comes on the opening day of the tournament, which is being co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine.
A BBC documentary had recently raised fears that Euro 2012 could be dogged by the issue of racism.
The Dutch players were reportedly targeted by Polish fans as they began their practice session at the Stadion Miejski.
Van Bommel responded by leading the squad to the far side of the pitch.
The abuse comes just a day after they had visited Nazi German concentration camp Auschwitz, which is nearby.
Van Bommel said: "It is a real disgrace, especially after getting back from Auschwitz, that you are confronted with this.
"We will take it up with Uefa and if it happens at a match we will talk to the referee and ask him to take us off the field."
Martin Lipton, from the Daily Mirror, is in Krakow and suggested there was a large number of Polish fans involved in the abuse.
He told BBC Radio 5 live: "As they were doing a lap on the pitch around 500 of the local fans started doing monkey chants at the black players.
"It became worse on the second lap, at which point Van Bommel took the players to the other side of the stadium. It's the only story in the Dutch press today."
I used to really admire Platini as a footballer and there's been few to rival him imo but his arrogance and the way he dismisses this (publicly) is shocking. It's a very real issue and possibly even organised and ignoring it is the last thing he should be doing
