A goalkeeper who went into the stands to confront a fan who allegedly racially insulted him during a Spanish third division match has been suspended for two matches.
In the 87th minute of Saturday’s match between Sestao River Club and Rayo Majadahonda, Senegalese goalkeeper Cheikh Sarr received a red card after jumping into the crowd behind the goal following reported abuse.
After the 23-year-old was sent off and informed his Rayo Majadahonda teammates what had happened, they left the pitch and the match was subsequently abandoned.
In addition to Sarr’s ban, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) also said Rayo Majadahonda would forfeit the match and be fined €3,006 (£2,576, $3,254).
The RFEF, which highlighted Sesato’s “passivity” in not initiating the anti-racism protocol, also ordered the players to play two matches behind closed doors and pay a fine of €6,001 (£5,143, $6,496 ).
Speaking to local journalists about the incident on Tuesday, Sarr, as quoted by the Reuters news agency, said: “I grabbed him (the fan) and asked him why he was insulting me. My attitude wasn’t aggressive, I just wanted to ask him why.
“Other times it can be seen as something playful or joking. However, that wasn’t the case on Saturday, because it was something horrible and I couldn’t help it. What they said was very sad and ugly.
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Spain match abandoned as team leaves after player racially abused confronts fan
Rayo Majadahonda captain Jorge Casado said Athleticism Saturday evening, that after the match, he went to the local police station alongside Sarr and the club’s vice-president to denounce the racist insults and provide testimony.
He added: “Fans were insulting him by calling him a ‘monkey’, making monkey noises and calling him a ‘f****** n*****.’
Rayo Majadahonda president Inaki Acha later told Radio Marca that the club would not push for the match to be replayed.
A club statement added on Sunday that Rayo Majadahonda expressed its “deep concern and disagreement with the lack of sensitivity shown by the expulsion of our player from the match, without taking into account the circumstances in which his reaction occurred.”
On Tuesday, Sesato reiterated its “firm commitment against racism, xenophobia and intolerance” but insisted there was no racist abuse during the match.
“At no time during the football match were there any racist chants against the protagonists,” the press release added. “The proof is that the minutes of the match, neither those of the referee nor those of the Ertzaintza (local police), reflect nothing of this, nor through the television images.”
(Cristina Arias/Cover/Getty Images)