Former Reading striker Nelson Oliveira has questioned whether British players would get the same treatment he did after Tyrone Mings 'stamped' on his head during a 0-0 draw with Aston Villa in 2019.
The Portugal forward was on loan in Berkshire from Norwich City, capturing hearts with strikes over Blackburn Rovers and Ipswich Town as Jose Gomes kept the Royals in the Championship.
A fan favourite at Carrow Road, the PAOK striker appeared on the TalkNorwichCity podcast.
Discussing the nasty collision with the England defender, the 31-year-old admitted that it put him off English football.
"It was this that made me want to go from England, because after Reading I had many chances to stay in England and the Championship," he admitted. "I was disappointed with English football because in my opnion he did it on purpose. Players, the guys who play football, know that he could have avoided it easily because we see everything on the pitch. We see where we put our legs and feet. Because he had the dirtiest way of playing, he didn’t avoid it. He stamped on my face like he did with [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic. One player has stamped in the face of two guys, I don’t remember any player stamping in the face of two guys. Maybe it’s unlucky- he must be a really unlucky guy."
The current Villa captain apologised at the time, saying "no one feels worse than me."
Going on to have a successful spell in Greece, the former international questioned whether the outcome would have been any different were he a British player.
"I was disappointed because nothing happened. He was not red-carded and he didn’t get any punishment. Thankfully, by God, I only have some scars, but I could be blind or have to stop my career. I just want to ask one question: if this was Harry Kane, or Marcus Rashford or a British player- would it be the same treatment? The FA will do nothing? I don’t believe it, and that’s what makes me unhappy about the situation."
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