Afellay condemns alleged abuse

Netherlands forward Ibrahim Afellay says abuse of all kinds is part of a footballer’s life, but stated firmly it is always unacceptable.

Dutch captain Mark van Bommel was left fuming after certain sections of a 25,000-strong crowd reportedly subjected several players to monkey chants during the Netherlands’ open training session in Krakow.

Although it remains unclear whether the chants were indeed born out of racial prejudices, Afellay believes the whole squad should unite and take a stand against racism.

“The only thing that you can say is that there are more madmen roaming than trapped,” he told De Telegraaf.

“I hear certain things. When you’re a footballer, you must be strong, because you hear it all the time: when you enter the pitch, when you take a throw-in, or when you take a corner.

“People say that he’s a footballer and he gets paid a lot for it, but that’s not how it works.”

UEFA has confirmed they do not plan to launch an official investigation into the incident.