Simon Zebo on racism regret: 'That day in Belfast still haunts me'

Munster star Simon Zebo wants much harsher punishments to eradicate racist abuse from rugby

Munster's Simon Zebo takes a selfie at Musgrave Park

Simon Zebo wants much harsher punishments to eradicate racist abuse from rugby, saying that racism is still evident 'on a daily basis’. The Munster star has also opened up on the racism he endured as a boy growing up in Cork.

In an interview with World Rugby, Zebo urged the game’s authorities to come down hard on any incidents of racism that come to light.

“It’s not something that’s incredibly hidden, like it happens on a daily basis. It would be nice to see more done about it and more of a focus on it and it should be eradicated by this stage but it’s sad to see it’s not.

“Any time something happens in sport, what an opportunity to come down with the hardest punishments, the hardest sanctions, punish the team. There’s so much that can be done that’s not being done.” 

"That day in Belfast...it's a blotch on my rugby memories"@SimonZebo has had a career full of incredible highs, but experiencing racist abuse as player is not something that the @Munsterrugby star will ever forget#TheOpenSide pic.twitter.com/VfHyd0stN7

— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) May 11, 2022

Last year, French player Ludovic Radosavljevic was banned for 26 weeks for racially abusing a Cameroonian player. At the time, Zebo suggested a life ban would be more appropriate.

In 2019, while playing for Racing 92, Zebo was racially abused by an Ulster supporter, who was later banned for life by the province. But the player feels sanctions need to hit clubs in order to be effective.

“If a supporter knows if I racially abuse someone and my team gets relegated, for example, or loses a load of points in the log, supporters won’t do it. They need to understand there are consequences for their actions.

“If you’re willing to abuse someone, violence isn’t the answer, but you’d like to see people lose their job. I’d like to see someone lose their job if they think it’s okay to racially abuse someone. I would be very very harsh on punishments. They’d probably be lucky I’m not the judge handing out the punishments because I have zero tolerance for racism at all. 

“That day in Belfast really annoys me to this day. It doesn't go away. Any time I think about that, it’s a blotch on my rugby memories, I suppose.

“There's always that thing playing on your mind, like what should I have done. How should I have reacted differently? I’m not saying I should have went over and punched the guy. Should I have walked off the pitch? Should I have told my coaches I’m not playing anymore. I don’t know. It still annoys me, still kind of haunts me.

“But hopefully it never happens again and no player has to deal with that again. And the sanctions and punishments certainly need to change because it wasn’t good enough really.” 

Growing up in Cork the son of a Martinique-born father and Irish mother, Zebo admits his father’s advice was crucial in helping him deal with the abuse he encountered. 

“Overt racism, yeah loads. It was very in your face, very harsh. You see, when you’re growing up different, when a kid wants to make you feel bad or wants to piss you off that’s the first thing they went to. 

“If I was ever called a name playing sport or hanging out with friends. It was always you black… then the name. You learn how to deal with this and then the chats with my father were very important, to try and acknowledge it’s just silly, stupid, uneducated people trying to put you down, basically.”