Marseilles (AFP)

The "Clasico" won Sunday by Marseille on the ground of Paris SG (1-0) continued on Monday with a press release between the two clubs: PSG gave its support to its Brazilian superstar, who claims to be a victim of racist insults, while OM defended the Spaniard Alvaro Gonzalez.

The Neymar case is relegating to the background the pitiful start to the season of PSG which, less than a month after its Champions League final lost against Bayern Munich (1-0), is dragging itself to 17th place of L1 with two defeats in as many matches.

During this sulphurous match, marked at the end of the match by the exclusion of five players, including Neymar for slapping Alvaro Gonzalez in the back of the head, the Brazilian striker of PSG complained to the referees, repeating to many times "racismo, no!"

("racism, no!", in Spanish), pointing to the Spanish defender.

PSG gave their support to their star who, after the match, had violently attacked Alvaro Gonzalez on social networks ("My only regret is not having hit that asshole in the face").

"PSG strongly support Neymar who told him he had been the victim of racist insults by an opposing player," the club said in a statement.

"Paris Saint-Germain is counting on the disciplinary commission of the LFP to investigate and shed light on these facts. The club is at its disposal to collaborate in the progress of the investigations", he continued, insisting that "there is no place for racism in society, football or our lives".

- "Gonzales is not racist" -

OM, winner on Sunday for the first time in the "Clasico" in nine years, quickly responded.

"Alvaro Gonzalez is not racist, he demonstrated it to us by his daily behavior since his arrival at the club, as his teammates have already testified", writes the Marseille club, which describes itself as "a symbol itself anti-racism in French professional sport ".

"The club is at the disposal of the disciplinary committee to fully cooperate in the investigation of all the events that have punctuated this meeting, and the 24 hours which preceded them," the text continues.

It is therefore the disciplinary committee of the Professional Football League (LFP) which finds itself on the front line.

She announced at the start of the afternoon that she would look at the five red cards distributed at the end of the match on Wednesday to determine the number of suspension matches incurred by Parisians Neymar, Layvin Kurzawa and Leandro Paredes, and by Marseillais Dario Benedetto and Jordan Amavi.

- SOS Racisme calls for an investigation -

According to the disciplinary scale of the French Football Federation used as a reference for Ligue 1, a player guilty of an "act of brutality / blow" can be punished with up to seven matches of suspension if this occurs outside of a game action, without causing injury.

The commission can decide to launch an investigation on these supposed acts, starting from the report returned by the arbitrator and while relying on the images of television.

Any racist behavior is punishable by a maximum suspension of ten matches.

These accusations of racism prompted the reaction of the National Ethics Council (CNE), a body dependent on the French Football Federation, but also SOS Racisme.

"The climate in which the match of the 3rd day of the Ligue 1 championship, Paris Saint-Germain-Olympique de Marseille, was prepared and unfolded is not acceptable. Yesterday's match, as well as before and the post-game, brought together a lot of what we no longer want to see on a field and on the sidelines of a sports meeting, "regretted the CNE.

"These remarks, if they were made, appear much more serious than game errors," notes SOS Racisme, which asks the LFP to open an investigation.

The Neymar affair is reacting in Brazil too.

"There is no place for people who proclaim hatred or racism. Do not be guided by hatred, my brother", wrote on Instagram Daniel Alves, his ex-teammate at FC Barcelona, ​​in Paris SG and Brazilian selection.

© 2020 AFP