Silvestre: France players angry with Aragones
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Mikael Silvestre admits French players are still upset with Spain coach Luis Aragones over his racist attack on striker Thierry Henry last year.
The coach was fined just £2,000 by the Spanish FA in March last year for his amazing outburst on the training pitch. He claimed he was trying to 'motivate' Arsenal striker Henry's Spanish team-mate Jose Reyes, telling him: "You're better than that black s**t."
But the comments were captured on TV and Manchester United's French full-back Silvestre said: "Given what he said and what people expected, it was not a very bad punishment.
"Something much worse should be done to people who do things like that. He should have been suspended.
"He never even apologised, which is a shame."
Henry spearheaded the 'Stand Up, Speak Up' anti-racism drive in the wake of the incident and FIFA has put the fight against such bigotry at the top of their agenda at the World Cup.
Arsenal's captain is anxious to put the issue behind him in the run- up to France's decisive match with Spain in the battle for a place in the quarter-finals.
But Silvestre added: "All of the black players I know were very upset and angry by what Aragones said - not just those that play with France but those that play all over the world.
"It was inexcusable. There are many ways for a coach to motivate his players without people resorting to terrible comments like that.
"Happily, we have not had any repeat of it."
The coach was fined just £2,000 by the Spanish FA in March last year for his amazing outburst on the training pitch. He claimed he was trying to 'motivate' Arsenal striker Henry's Spanish team-mate Jose Reyes, telling him: "You're better than that black s**t."
But the comments were captured on TV and Manchester United's French full-back Silvestre said: "Given what he said and what people expected, it was not a very bad punishment.
"Something much worse should be done to people who do things like that. He should have been suspended.
"He never even apologised, which is a shame."
Henry spearheaded the 'Stand Up, Speak Up' anti-racism drive in the wake of the incident and FIFA has put the fight against such bigotry at the top of their agenda at the World Cup.
Arsenal's captain is anxious to put the issue behind him in the run- up to France's decisive match with Spain in the battle for a place in the quarter-finals.
But Silvestre added: "All of the black players I know were very upset and angry by what Aragones said - not just those that play with France but those that play all over the world.
"It was inexcusable. There are many ways for a coach to motivate his players without people resorting to terrible comments like that.
"Happily, we have not had any repeat of it."
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