Jurgen Klopp hails "brave" Rhian Brewster for speaking up against racism

By Giuseppe Labellarte, Reporter | 30 December 2017

Jurgen Klopp hails Rhian Brewster for speaking out about racial abuse in football and pledges to give the 17-year-old all the help he needs at Liverpool.

Jurgen Klopp has praised Rhian Brewster for speaking out about racial abuse in football and insisted that the 17-year-old will be helped and supported at Liverpool.

Brewster, one of the key players in the England side which won the Under-17 World Cup in October, has outlined seven incidents when he says he has been racially abused during matches against players from abroad or witnessed the same happening to a teammate.

Two of the alleged incidents happened while playing for England, including one in the World Cup final when teammate Morgan Gibbs-White was allegedly called a "monkey" by a Spain player.

"I am really happy he is brave enough, and he needed to be brave, to do what he did because it is such an important thing," Klopp told The Guardian.

"I really can't believe people still have these thoughts in their mind now. It's so strange that it happens in this world now and we need a 17-year-old boy to shout out and say it is still happening all the time and that we need help to stop it.

"We are really happy he did that but it is not a situation you want a 17-year-old to be in. If he needs help we will give it to him."

Brewster was allegedly racially abused during Liverpool's Under-19 UEFA Youth League match against Spartak Moscow, with Leonid Minorov, the accused player, referred to UEFA's control, ethics and disciplinary body, although no date has been set for the hearing.