Soucek apologises for misunderstood comments
Hammer Tomas Soucek has taken to social media to apologise after comments he made were misunderstood
Speaking to Czech publication idnes, Soucek said: “’At West Ham, everyone asked me about it and why he said it and I fought for Ondrej all the time.
“I believe that he did not tell him anything racist, no one proved anything about him. I found it absurd. I know him so well that I can’t imagine him saying anything racist. I see how sensitive the British are to racism every day. Two cultures collide because we think a little differently than they do. Slowly, one is afraid to say anything so as not to offend or slander someone. And I think that’s wrong.”
On taking the knee the 26-year-old West Ham player said: “’We’ve been doing it all season, but it will probably be cancelled before the next one as it doesn’t have much of the original impact anymore. But it’s like everything — an interesting gesture that will attract attention, but will it help anything? That’s the question.”
“My comments in a recent interview I did in the Czech Republic didn’t come across how I meant them,” he tweeted in reply to the reaction to his interview.
“They were out of context and have been misunderstood. I am against racism in any form and am proud to play in a sport that is so diverse and inclusive.”