Kevin-Prince Boateng on…
…the resumption of the Bundesliga season on Saturday: “We’re in a great position. The training camp went really well and the atmosphere within the squad is fantastic. In Marco Fabian and Omar Mascarell, we have gained two important players who give our game an extra dimension. We’re thrilled to get going again and we’re not worried about going into free-fall. What happened to us last season won’t happen again.”
…the match against Freiburg: “We’re going for the win. It’s an important match, as we want to start the second half of the campaign as we ended the first. The only thing that matters on Saturday is getting the three points.”
…his personal fitness levels: “The Spanish sun did me a lot of good. I’m feeling great at the moment - I think I’m gradually approaching 100 per cent. I’m running a lot more, demanding the ball more frequently and helping my team-mates. That’s exactly what my game is all about. The intense training regime during the first half of the season has really paid off.”
…recent incidents involving racism: “Those incidents involving a fashion label and Blaise Matuidi, who was subject to racist chanting during a game, make me angry and sad in equal measure. I talk about this type of thing so much - it’s just so frustrating having the same discussion over and over again. It’s sad that things like this happen to big companies, even if it’s unintentional. It hurts to experience racism on a daily basis, and it hurts that we’re still having to fight it in this day and age. You just have to put yourself in Blaise Matuidi’s shoes. Many people don’t know what it’s like to be insulted that way by supporters, just because you have a different skin colour. When something like that occurs, it hits home that we’re different. We’ve reached a stage where all this has to end. Enough is enough. Imposing the odd fine every now and then won’t solve the issue.”
…how he intends to tackle racism: “It’s a very real problem that we face on a daily basis. Talking about it for a couple of days then forgetting all about it is simply unacceptable. We need to form a united front against racism. I will get in touch with Blaise Matuidi and other professional footballers to do so. We need to show solidarity with one another and the beautiful game can help us do just that. There’s nothing better than football, which allows all nations to experience joy and pain side by side.”
