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Antonio Rudiger still wants 'justice' over racist acts he endured with Roma

Antonio Rudiger Roma
Antonio Rudiger was the target of multiple racially charged incidents in Italy.

Chelsea's new defender Antonio Rudiger says he wants "justice" from FIFA after the racial abuse he suffered while playing in Italy with Roma last season.

Rudiger was subjected to abuse from Lazio fans during a derby earlier this year, while he also was the target of a racist insult from Lazio midfielder Senad Lulic in December.

Lulic was banned one game and fined €10,000, while Lazio were not punished at all for the fans' chants, and Rudiger said he was not satisfied.

"I just want justice. I want FIFA or the FA in Italy just to suspend those people who do that," he told multiple English newspapers. "Those people need to be banned from the stadium or fined. You cannot even put yourself in my position of how that feels.

"I can keep my focus but people love to say 'stay calm' or 'don't do anything.' It is easy for you to say those things when you are not black and you never feel what it is like.

"You have to be strong. But each human is different. Someone takes it and doesn't react. Others react. I can understand both."

Looking forward to his first Premier League season with Chelsea, Rudiger said he was readying himself for a more physical battle.

"You need to prepare for a physical game," he said. "There are a lot of strikers -- Jamie Vardy, [Romelu] Lukaku, a lot of strikers -- where you look at them and it is a challenge. The whole league is a challenge."


