Vieira slams Spain's stance on racism

Patrick Vieira has fiercely criticised Spain's record in combating racism in football and paid tribute to England's record in acting against it.

Vieira, in an interview with French daily Le Monde, claims racism is an universal problem but singled out England for its efforts to stamp it out while criticising Spain.

The spotlight has recently fallen on Spain after national team coach Luis Aragones made offensive comments about Vieira's team-mate with Arsenal and France, Thierry Henry.

On the eve of Spain's friendly with England, Aragones turned the table on his critics with remarks about the excesses of Britain's colonial past.

A day later he refused repeatedly to condemn racial abuse by Spanish supporters of England players Ashley Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips.

On Saturday it was reported that Aragones had been summoned to appear before Spain's National Anti-Violence Commission to explain himself.

"I was not surprised because I have experienced the same thing with Arsenal against Deportivo La Coruna and Valencia," said Vieira. "Monkey chants and insults are hurtful because we are all sensitive, we all have a heart and we all feel these things.

"When someone insults you in the street whether he is black, white or yellow you want to have a go at him. But in our job we are supposed to set an example. We try but it is sometimes difficult to hold ourselves back."

Referring to Aragones, Senegal-born Vieira said: "The lack of reaction after what Aragones said shows how uncontroversial racist attitudes have become in Spain.

"I am also disappointed neither FIFA nor UEFA made any remark to criticise him."

On Sunday FIFA president Sepp Blatter blasted the behaviour of the Spanish crowd and said he would have understood if the England players had left the field.

"He (Aragones) is the Spain coach after all," said Vieira. "If we players are meant to set an example then the coaches have a particular responsibility.

"They should not be allowed to make such remarks especially when they are broadcast to young people."

Asked about Aragones' attempts to play down the Henry jibe, Vieira said: "He is taking Spanish footballers for idiots. He is taking all players for idiots. It does not stand up. It is pure hypocrisy."

Vieira referred to Arsenal's Champions League match in 2001 with Lazio when the London club's black players were heckled and when Vieira was racially abused on the field by Lazio's Serbo-Montenegrin international Sinisa Mihajlovic.

"The difference from Spain was that the club (Lazio) punished the player," said Vieira.

Asked about his experiences in France, Vieira noted the recent instance of two black players with Corsican club Bastia being jostled and racially abused by their own fans.

"I saw what happened at Bastia," said Vieira. "It's hard to accept. I grew up in Dreux where the National Front ran the town…. I felt that racism. But on the other hand it made me stronger."

The National Front is a xenophobic party led by Jean-Marie Le Pen who finished second to Jacques Chirac in France's most recent presidential elections.

Vieira made an apparent reference to the 2002 presidential elections when asked about France's 1998 multiracial World Cup winning side which contained black players and players of Caribbean, north African and Armenian extraction.

"When Zinedine Zidane (Marseille-born son of Algerian parents) scored two goals in the final that was the moment to say the team was a model of multicultural integration," said Vieira. "We wanted the team to symbolise France. But afterwards…."

England's supporters have long had a tradition of xenophobia both before and after the 1985 Heysel tragedy that led to the exclusion of English clubs from European competition for several years.

In Euro 2004 England supporters caused trouble in the Algarve while at the match between France and England in Lisbon, a significant number of England fans could be heard singing anti-French and anti-German songs as well as political songs aimed at Ireland and Arab countries while they routinely boo the opposing national anthem.

However, Vieira believes that Britain has set the standard in taking action against the problem.

"I have been here (England) for eight years," said Vieira. "I have never had to complain about racism. I don't say it doesn't exist because it happens in everyday life but in the Premiership neither me nor my friends have experienced it. In England they combat racism.

"The English have been fighting against racism for 20 years. In all departments. When I switch on my TV in England, I see black journalists presenting the afternoon or evening news. In France I do not."