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The Netherlands will make no official complaint over the alleged racist abuse of players during an open training session in Poland.

Euro 2012: Netherlands will not make racism complaint

Captain Mark van Bommel said the team’s black players were subjected to monkey chants in Krakow.

The Dutch FA said while some players said they heard racist abuse, the chanting was mixed with Polish fans making political statements.

The matter is now considered closed, the Dutch FA told BBC Sport.

Uefa said it had not yet decided whether to formally investigate, but was making preliminary inquiries in a bid to establish exactly what had happened.

Around 20,000 fans had turned up to watch the training session at the Stadion Miejski on Wednesday.

While van Bommel complained of racist abuse the Dutch FA said this was mixed with anti-Euro 2012 chanting. This is believed to have been prompted by the fact the city has not been given any matches in the tournament. Head coach Bert van Marwijk did not hear any racist abuse, the FA added.

When it was put to Van Bommel on Thursday that the chanting was a protest against Euro 2012 organisers, he said: “Open your ears. If you did hear it, and don’t want to hear it, that is even worse.”

The claims come on the opening day of the tournament, which is being co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine.

Journalist Marcel Van Der Kraan, who writes for Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, said he heard the racist abuse.

He told BBC Radio 5 live: “The Dutch had an open training session which they always do at one of the big stadiums to make the public feel welcome.

“As the Dutch players did their warm-up, during the first lap of the pitch they could hear monkey noises from one end of the crowd.

“When the players heard this they said they would do another lap and if they heard monkey noises again they would stop.

“The Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk moved all the cones and started training on the pitch as far away from these people as possible.

“It was considerably more than two or three people. The Dutch media could hear it as well.”

Van Der Kraan added the whole Dutch team were behind van Bommel’s stance.

He added: “[Winger] Ibrahim Afellay said if the whole team decides to do something, they will all do it together. He said, ‘If someone turns right, we all turn right’.”

The day before the alleged abuse, the Netherlands players had visited Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz, which is nearby.

Van Bommel said: “It is a real disgrace, especially after getting back from Auschwitz, that you are confronted with this.

“We will take it up with Uefa and if it happens at a match we will talk to the referee and ask him to take us off the field.”

BBC’s Panorama programme last month raised the issue of potential racism at Euro 2012 after filming supporters in Ukraine giving Nazi salutes and taunting black players with monkey noises.

Earlier this week, Uefa president Michel Platini told BBC Sport that the issue was one for wider society, not simply football. He said referees had the power to stop games if there was racist abuse from the stands.

The tournament kicks off at 17:00 BST on Friday with hosts Poland playing Greece in the opening match in Warsaw.

BBC Sport

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