Cyrus Christie has issued a statement after it became clear that the FAI were co-operating with Gardai on an investigation into racist tweets aimed at the Republic of Ireland and Middlesbrough defender following last week's 5-1 loss to Denmark.
James McClean spoke up regarding the abhorrent abuse that one of his teammates had suffered following the crushing defeat and has since been praised by anti-racism organisations for shining light on a problem that still exists in the game.
Having received support from thousands of Irish fans after the news emerged, Christie took to Twitter on Monday to condemn those who chose to tweet racist insults at him, outlining that he believes they do not represent the Irish fanbase.
— Cyrus Christie (@cyruschristie) November 20, 2017
Firstly, I'd like to say I am extremely proud to represent my country the Republic of Ireland and I give everything I can each time I put on the green shirt. I genuinely believe our fans are some of the best in the world.
However, there have been a number of racist comments which have been brought to my attention during the World Cup qualifying campaign over the last couple of months and most recently last week. These comments are not representative of our fans or our sport. We were all deeply upset to not reach the World Cup finals and are hurting just as much as everyone else.
It is deeply saddening that racism is still part of the game we all enjoy and love. I strongly believe we need to stand up against these individuals who do not belong in football or any other sport.
Fair play to him, and he is absolutely right. Those disgusting Tweets were cowardly acts and do not represent Irish supporters as a whole, most of whom have been disgusted to learn of what was said.
Hopefully the investigation provides a result that would lead to like-minded morans having a second think about spewing their vitriol when the football team they like doesn't win.
