A goalkeeper who went into the stands to confront a fan who allegedly racially abused him at a Spanish third-tier game has been given a two-match ban.
In the 87th minute of Saturday’s match between Sestao River Club and Rayo Majadahonda, Senegalese goalkeeper Cheikh Sarr was shown a red card after jumping into the crowd behind the goal following the reported abuse.
After the 23-year-old had been sent off and informed his Rayo Majadahonda team-mates of what had happened, they walked off the pitch with the match subsequently abandoned.
As well as the ban for Sarr, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has also declared that Rayo Majadahonda will forfeit the match and be fined €3,006 (£2,576, $3,254).
The RFEF, which noted Sesato’s “passivity” in not initiating the anti-racism protocol, has also ordered them to play two matches behind closed doors and pay a fine of €6,001 (£5,143, $6,496).
Speaking to local reporters about the incident on Tuesday, Sarr, as quoted by Reuters news agency, said: “I grabbed him (the fan) and asked why he was insulting me. My attitude was not aggressive, I just wanted to ask him why.
“Other times it could be seen as something playful or a joke. However, this was not the case on Saturday, as it was something horrible and I could not stop myself. It was a very sad and ugly thing what they were saying.”
Rayo Majadahonda captain Jorge Casado told The Athletic on Saturday evening that, following the game, he had gone to the local police station alongside Sarr and the club’s vice-president to denounce the racist insults and provide witness statements.
He added: “The fans were insulting him by calling him a ‘monkey’, making monkey noises and calling him a ‘f****** n*****.”
Rayo Majadahonda’s president Inaki Acha later told Radio Marca that the club would not push for the game to be replayed.
A club statement on Sunday added that Rayo Majadahonda expressed their “deep concern and disagreement with the lack of sensitivity shown by expelling our player from the match, without taking into account the circumstances under which his reaction occurred”.
On Tuesday, Sesato reiterated their “firm commitment against racism, xenophobia and intolerance” but insisted that there was no racist abuse during the game.
“At no time during the football match were there any racist chants towards any of the protagonists,” the statement added. “The proof is that the minutes of the match, both the referee’s and the Ertzaintza’s (local police), do not reflect anything about it, nor through television images.”
(Cristina Arias/Cover/Getty Images)
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