Story By: Juan Mayes, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Golder’s News And Sport 

Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit has said he “experienced racism” in the “Barcelona changing room”.

The comments were made on the radio station Radio Monte Carlo (RMC) Sport, where the former France midfielder works as a commentator.

When speaking about his brief time at Barcelona from 2000 to 2001 Petit said that even though “it may come as a shock” he said: “I experienced racism. I lived it in the Barcelona changing room.”

The former Chelsea midfielder then went on to say: “It happened every once in a while although it happened with a lot more frequency to other players.”

Local media report the comments are consistent with those he made back in 2015 after he said: “I went at a bad time. There was a war in the changing room between Catalan and Dutch players.

“On top of that, we had Serra Ferrer as our manager who did not have enough strength or charisma to manage the squad. Catalan nationalism is very close to racism.”

Petit also said “people told me not to try to learn Spanish because I had to learn Catalan” and when he asked “I am in Spain, am I not?” he was told “No. You are in Catalonia.” admitting that he “got fed up with those kinds of things.”

Petit spent six years in the Premier League spending three of those years at Arsenal, helping the Gunners win the Premier League in 1998, and three at Chelsea.

He won the FIFA World Cup with France in 1998 after scoring the final goal in France’s 3-0 victory over Brazil in the final. He also won the UEFA European Championship in 2000.

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