There was horror amongst many in Spain on Saturday when racism once againt took centre stage, as Marcos Acuna was racially abused, and Rayo Majadahonda walked off the pitch following alleged racial abuse against Sestao River Club in the Basque Country. However the latter have since revealed that they will not be taking any action against the fan in question.
Sestao released a statement on the matter, condemning racism, and saying that they were co-operating with the authorities on the matter. However they say at no point is there any evidence of racism based on video footage, the match report or the report from the local police, the Ertzaintza. Sestao ‘will not hesitate to take the necessary action’, but as things stand they are ‘resorting to the presumption of innocence’.
🚨 ÚLTIMA HORA I Comunicado del @SestaoRC
🚫 "En ningún momento se produjeron cánticos racistas hacia ninguno de los protagonistas: en las actas del partido, tanto la arbitral como la de la Ertzaintza, no se refleja nada al respecto, ni tampoco en TV"
📻 #PartidazoCOPE pic.twitter.com/V5i2B1C3Mj
— El Partidazo de COPE (@partidazocope) April 2, 2024
Meanwhile Cadena Cope say that the fan accused of racism by Rayo goalkeeper Cheikh Sarr has been identified – he went to the police after the game to submit a complaint about Sarr, who grabbed the fan. Head of Security for Sestao Rafa Guadix explained that after finding out that he needed to present a medical report, the fan let the matter lie.
However after he was informed by the Ertzaintza that Sarr had made a complaint about him, the fan in question returned to the police station with a report showing light stress on his neck. The following day he presented another with reported shoulder pain.
Sarr had spoken to the same radio station the day before, and claimed again that he had been racially abused. He also thanked Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior for his support. The case is being investigated by the police, and the Competition Committee are evaluatiing whether to suspend Sarr for 4-8 games.
For more on the topic, why not read our column piece this week on racism in Spanish football.
