Kompany details racist abuse at Betis with Ku Klux Klan chants | OneFootball

Vincent Kompany has described suffering racist abuse about 20 years ago while playing for Anderlecht against Real Betis in Seville. According to Superdeporte, he recalled chants invoking the Ku Klux Klan and monkey noises from Betis fans.

The Belgian, then aged 18 or 19, was alongside his late team-mate Cheick Tioté, whom he remembered fondly. He said supporters climbed the fences, mimicked monkeys and hurled racist taunts at the teenage pair.

They played on and Kompany was pleased to score that night, celebrating with particular anger in the moment. With time, he now wonders whether his reaction might have been seized upon as an excuse.

His reflection, captured by him asking what he had done, underlines how racism can push victims to interrogate themselves.

Though the episode dates back two decades, the problem persists across European stadiums. Awareness campaigns have grown in number, yet incidents have not vanished. Kompany’s choice to speak now reads as an act of remembrance rather than retribution, a reminder that silence should not return.

Source: Superdeporte