United States striker Jozy Altidore says he doesn’t want to hold a grudge against fans who showered him with racist abuse because “we all mistakes.”
In an interview with The Associated Press, Altidore said he decided to play through the abuse because he didn’t want to give satisfaction to the people who directed monkey chants at him.
Dutch club FC Den Bosch has pledged to do all it can to identify and punish fans who abused Altidore during the Dutch Cup match Tuesday against Altidore’s AZ Alkmaar.
Altidore, who is black, told the AP that he has said prayers for the fans who abused him because “they’re deep down probably not all bad people.”
He said he had never experienced racism like this before, either on or off the field.
