Published 14.23
Rafael van der Vaart was accused of racism after Netherlands-Japan.
Now the former big star is apologizing.
“Never my intention,” says van der Vaart.
It was after the Netherlands’ 2-2 match against Japan that former soccer star – and now expert – Rafael van der Vaart, 43, made his attention-grabbing statement.
van der Vaart criticized the way Netherlands defender Micky van de Ven, 25, acted in connection with the corner that resulted in Japan’s 2–2 goal.
– He loses him (goal scorer Daichi Kamada, 29) completely. He goes completely unmarked, van de Ven is nowhere near him, said van der Vaart, states The Athletic.
Led to awkward silence
A moment later, the 43-year-old added what he now claims to regret.
– But they (the Japanese players) basically all look the same.
According to The Athletic, the statement was followed by “an awkward silence” in the studio, after which van der Vaart said he was only joking.
The statement has met with strong criticism, including from the anti-discrimination organization Kick It Out.
“Extremely disappointing”
– It is extremely sad to hear former players spread racist stereotypes and then make matters worse by trying to defend the comments as a joke, a spokesperson for Kick It Out told The Athletic.
In a statement that the site has seen, van der Vaart says that he is against all kinds of racism.
“I understand that some people perceived my words as hurtful. I sincerely regret that. If I have upset people because of my comment, I apologize, that was never my intention,” van der Vaart is reported to have said in the statement.
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