Kevin-Prince Boateng talks about Thursday’s brave stand

AC Milan’s Kevin-Prince Boateng, who has become a sort of accidental hero for his emotional, impromptu and gutsy stand against racism on Thursday, has spoken now about his moment.

In a terrific interview on CNN, Pedro Pinto spoke to the Milan star about his decision to walk off the field Thursday, after he and some of his black teammates were the targets of racial abuse during a friendly against Italian lower division club Pro Patria.

In the interview Boateng (pictured, right, as he leaves the field Thursday) says he has been heartened to hear voices of support from high places in his club. He also encouraged other players to take similar stands when confronted by this kind of ugliness.

The best part of the interview came as Pinto asked the Ghanaian international to describe his feelings at the moment he picked up the soccer ball, kicked it angrily toward a group of supporters and then marched off the field:

That’s difficult to answer. There were so many emotions. I was angry. I was sad. I was disappointed. Then, this all came together, and I said, ‘I am not going to play anymore. I don’t want to play in a crowd that is doing things like this, or in a crowd like this.’ There are so many negative emotions.

“I was surprised, in the time we are living now in 2013, still these things come up, and still we have to fight against these things or hear these things.”

The complete interview from CNN is here:

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