Eboue pelted with missiles while playing in Turkey (with video)
Published 13:04 21/11/11 By MirrorFootball
Turkish club Besiktas are facing a fine after their fans pelted Emmanuel Eboue with objects amid appalling scenes on Sunday.
The former Arsenal defender, now at Galatasaray, was hit by objects including a water bottle and a lighter.
In video footage, Eboue is seen appealing for help from the referee and is even comforted by a player from the opposing team as he retreats from the touchline.
The Turkish FA will rule on the incident later this week - if it has been included in the delegate’s report.
But a spokesman for the club insisted the flashpoints were not racially motivated.
“The treatment Emmanuel Eboue was given by Besiktas fans on Sunday has nothing to do with racism,” said a Besiktas spokesman.
“Similar treatment was given to a Turkish player during the game as well, the sole motivation for the act was Eboue’s theatrics aimed at deceiving the referee.”
Eboue quit Arsenal last summer after six years in London. Although he has played in all but one of Galatasaray’s games, he has been substituted in nearly half of them.
Meanwhile, Brazil legend Pele has left himself open to criticism by claiming racism does not exist in European football because “it is full of blacks”.
The 71-year-old said: ‘I never had this problem. Now, any little thing is racism. It’s absurd.
"When I arrived in Sweden (to play the World Cup in 1958) only Brazil had black players. Today, with the advent of technology, this fuss about racism has expanded.
"I guess that it is necessary for the player to speak, for the press to report. Now any little thing is racism. They put much emphasis on this.
"The European teams are full of blacks. How can there be racism?"
