Chelsea coach defends Rudiger’s integrity amid Son abuse twist

Frank Lampard has defended the integrity of Antonio Rudiger after the Chelsea centre-back was criticised by Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho for his part in the incident that led to Son Heung-min’s red card in last weekend’s London derby.

Chelsea’s 2-0 win has since been overshadowed by allegations that both Rudiger and Son were subjected to racist abuse at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Chelsea manager Lampard and Mourinho, his former mentor at Stamford Bridge, have each spoken out against racism, but the Spurs boss has questioned the way Rudiger reacted to being kicked by Son in the incident that saw the South Korea star dismissed.

Mourinho told Rudiger to “stand up and play man”, but Lampard insisted the German had done nothing wrong.

“With Toni, in this incident when he’s having to post after the game about something we know is a huge deal (racism), I think to question his integrity in that time is disappointing for sure,” Lampard said.

“Pretty universally, certainly what I heard in the commentary and the post-match reflection was that the Son incident was a red card.

“It wasn’t brutal but it was instinctive that warrants a red card in the modern day. It was pretty clear that was the case. I wouldn’t question Toni’s integrity on that. So I do defend Toni firmly on it.”

Earlier, the latest racism row engulfing English football had taken a fresh turn on Monday amid reports Tottenham’s Son Heung-min as well as Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger had been abused by spectators during Sunday’s fractious London derby.

Chelsea’s 2-0 Premier League win at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium saw referee Anthony Taylor halt play during the second half when Rudiger complained of hearing monkey noises from spectators.

Moments earlier, the Chelsea defender had been involved in a clash with Son that saw the South Korean sent off. But late Monday a report on the website of Britain’s Guardian newspaper said a Chelsea supporter had been arrested for racially abusing Son on Sunday.

London’s Metropolitan Police said an arrest concerning a possible racially aggravated public order offence, without specifiying if the person in question was a supporter of either club. A force spokesman added: “Police were made aware of alleged racist chanting during the second half of the Tottenham vs Chelsea match on Sunday, Dec.22.

“Officers will work with the club in an attempt to identify any people responsible.”

Agence France-Presse