People make mistakes. They say stupid things.

Fundamentally, footballers don't look around a dressing room and think, 'He's a black player... he's Japanese.' They don't think like that. They think, 'He's a good player; he can help. He's not very good.' I'm not trying to defend anyone's actions, but there are going to be isolated incidents because it's an emotive, passionate sport.

I've heard things said on football pitches that players clearly don't mean, whether it's racism or just an abusive comment in the heat of the moment.

Gary Lineker Quotes