Tottenham’s Kevin Danso has shed light on how he reacted to the racist abuse directed at him following his error against Brighton.
The centre-back’s lapse in concentration allowed the Seagulls to equalise in stoppage time, costing Tottenham two valuable points. Inexplicably, Danso was targeted with racist abuse after the game.
Spurs have stood behind the Austrian through his ordeal, and while the Tottenham boss has also expressed solidarity with the player.
De Zerbi even confirmed that Danso will be at the club next season, admitting he is proud of the way the defender coped with the abuse directed at him.
Tottenham star Kevin Danso admits he was not going to take racist abuse lying down
The former Lens man confessed that he was a victim of racism growing up, but made it clear that he was not going to shy away from talking about the problem on this occasion.
However, Danso made it clear that the abuse directed at him does not define him and that he has not let it bother him.
Speaking about the racist comments aimed at him following the clash at Brighton, the Tottenham star told BBC Sport: “The last time I did experience it, I was very young and I didn’t tell anybody about it. I feel like this time it was important to say something, just address it and make sure that people are aware I’ve seen it.
“It’s not going to make me play any different and definitely there’s no need for it and basically you’re wasting your time. I just try not to let it have as much of an effect on me and how I feel about myself and my performance in order to continue to play at a very high level.
“I grew up in Austria, facing racism quite a bit, being in a predominantly white country. But again, I think I’ve learned how to deal with it in a way. It just doesn’t define me and it doesn’t belong in the world of football.”
Danso has done his talking on the pitch for Spurs
The experienced centre-half has certainly not let the off-field incident affect his performances, with Danso having delivered solid displays at the back in the sense of Cristian Romero.
The Austrian international has rarely let Tottenham down whenever called upon this season, and De Zerbi has said that he expects the Spurs defender to become even better once he gets used to his system.
With Romero and Van de Ven facing uncertain futures at Spurs, Danso could be in line to become a regular starter for Tottenham next season if he finishes the campaign strongly.