Following Zack Steffen’s debut in the Champions League for Manchester City last night, he’s been interview by several media outlets.
One of these chats was with Brazilian channel Esporte Interativo, who instead of only talking about the game, also wanted to know his opinion on the incident in Paris this week.
Following a term used by a fourth official, players from Paris Saint Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir chose both to left the pitch on Tuesday night. They resumed the game yesterday, with Neymar’s side winning it 5-1.
Steffen is a co-founder of the VOYCENOW Foundation, which aims to fight for equality and justice in the United States, and talked a little about what happened.
“Yeah man, it’s frustrating, it’s saddening. It’s unfortunate that it has to happen. We have to watch our words and be smarter with how we treat people,” Steffen told Esporte Interativo.
“I was always taught to treat people the way you want to be treated. It’s frustrating, it’s what we’re fighting for and hoping for a better future.”
Regarding the reaction from PSG and Istanbul Basaksehir players, the goalkeeper said he was glad that both teams had the same attitude.
“It’s massive, the solidarity between the teams just shows it’s more important than the game of football. It’s human rights, it’s human decency. It was awesome to see that solidarity between the two teams.”
Steffen joined Manchester City in a move from Columbus Crew in 2019. Following a loan season in Germany last year, he’s now having his first chances to feature for Pep Guardiola’s side, and is waiting for his debut in the Premier League.
“É frustrante, triste e infeliz.” Foi assim que Zack Steffen, goleiro do City, descreveu o caso de racismo que aconteceu na partida entre PSG x I. Basaksehir, mas destacou as atitudes dos jogadores aos saírem de campo. Veja essa exclusiva para o @fredcaldeira! #CasaDaChampions pic.twitter.com/AsEurdiwuP
— Esporte Interativo (de 🏠) (@Esp_Interativo) December 10, 2020
