Former Liverpool striker El-Hadji Diouf has allegedly accused his then team-mate and captain Steven Gerrard of “not liking black people” in response to comments made by the England star in his autobiography.
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Diouf also made allegations of racism extending to Liverpool as a club, stating that black players are not accepted easily “unless they are English”.
According to multiple reports, Diouf told Senegalese radio station Radio Future Media on Wednesday: “We all saw how he made life difficult for Mario Balotelli at Liverpool. I warned him. Liverpool isn’t a team that accepts black people unless they are English.
Diouf: “Everywhere I go… people worship me. Gerrard is just jealous of me.”
— Simon Austin (@sport_simon) September 15, 2015
“It’s common knowledge. Gerrard has never liked black people. When I was at Liverpool, I showed him I was black, that I wasn’t English, but that I’m no pushover. All the time I was there, he never dared looked me in the eye.”
Earlier in the day, the Daily Mail had serialised an extract from Gerrard’s forthcoming book in which the former England captain spoke of his displeasure at Diouf’s attitude during his time at Liverpool.
“It seemed to me that Diouf had no real interest in football and that he cared nothing about Liverpool,” Gerrard wrote of the Senegalese forward.
@smtm_LFC i did not got that feeling from Steve G so i think he got it wrong.
— Ryan Babel (@Ryanbabel) September 15, 2015
“A few people have since asked me if I saw any comparison between Diouf and Mario Balotelli – and I’ve always said no. I’ve got respect for Balotelli; I’ve got none for Diouf.
“Balotelli can be endearing sometimes — and that’s never a trait that you would associate with Diouf.”
In a statement later carried by the English newspaper, lawyers representing the former England captain said: “The allegations in those alleged statements are completely false and seriously defamatory of our client”.
Gerrard was also defended by former teammate Ryan Babel, now playing in UAE for Al Ain. He tweeted: “i did not got that feeling from Steve G so i think he got it wrong.”
