Ilkay Gündogan said he knows how it hurts to be racially abused, as he reflected on the experiences of his Manchester City teammate Raheem Sterling.
Gündogan has been booed more than once by Germany fans since he and Mesut Özil posed for a picture with the Turkey president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in May. Gündogan has also been insulted by a German politician on Facebook and attacked on social media.
“We have to deal with it,” the midfielder said. “It’s not easy because I lived it in the summer as well. I know how that feels and it hurts. But at the end we have no other choice but to stay strong and try to go through that period and try to do our best on the pitch. Yeah, to keep being successful, that’s what matters.”
Sterling was allegedly racially abused by Chelsea fans last Saturday. Gündogan, asked how the forward had been since, said: “He has been normal. I think he made his point clear through Instagram, giving a statement on that. I don’t know if there is any more to say but this is obviously something that doesn’t belong anywhere in the world.”
Chelsea have suspended four supporters pending an investigation and their manager, Maurizio Sarri, has described what happened as “disgusting” and spoken out against discrimination.
Gündogan said of Sterling: “I think he got a lot of support this week. I think also the way Chelsea reacted was good. It’s something we all have to fight; we all have to play our individual roles to make it better for everyone.”
