The racist scandal involving Paris Saint-Germain striker Neymar and Marseille defender lvaro Gonzalez continues to be widely discussed and overgrown with details, in connection with which even French Football Federation (FFF) President Noel Le Greux had to take the floor.
The functionary expressed regret over the incident, but at the same time noted that he considered the problem to be exaggerated.
“Bad situation, we are sorry about what happened.
Very bad.
The teams could not keep their composure and did not show the game that we were waiting for.
I do not know what Alvaro Gonzalez said to Neymar, did not hear.
Disagreements in matches happen.
But today there are very few problems in this regard.
When a black football player scores, the whole stadium is on its feet.
The problem of racism does not exist in sports and in football in particular.
Or it’s insignificant, ”L'Equipe quotes Le Gre's words.
The scandalous incident occurred in the match of the third round of the French championship between Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille.
In stoppage time, a conflict broke out between the players of both teams, which grew into a massive brawl.
The instigators were Leandro Paredes and Dario Benedetto, and later other team members joined them.
As a result, the Argentines received a second yellow card, which automatically turned into red, and left the field, with Leven Kurzava and Jordan Amavi joining them.
Subsequently, Neymar went to the room under the stands, although initially his act was not noticed by the chief arbiter.
Only with the help of a video replay, the judges were able to see that during the scuffle Neymar hit the head on the head of Marseille defender Alvaro Gonzalez.
Referee Jerome Brizard immediately showed the Brazilian a straight red card.
But as Neymar himself later said, his actions were not caused by ordinary anger, but became a response to insults from Gonzalez.
According to the Brazilian, he spoke rudely about his skin color, and also called another Paris Saint-Germain footballer a "dirty monkey".
Moreover, a few seconds before the scuffle between the rivals there was a skirmish in the center of the field, caught in the lenses of television cameras.
Despite the statement by the head of the FFF, the situation around Neymar is far from resolved.
At the moment, Gonzalez's guilt has not been proven, and therefore only the Paris Saint-Germain forward is subject to punishment.
Due to a straight red card, he is guaranteed to miss the national championship game against Metz, but the period of suspension may be increased.
Depending on the decision of the disciplinary committee of the federation, the Brazilian can miss from four to seven matches.
In addition, another leader of Paris Saint-Germain, Angel Di Maria, may be disqualified for six meetings.
According to the Daily Mail, during the scuffle, the Argentine spat at Gonzalez, which also appeared on the video.
The Paris Club is not going to put up with such a development of events and intends to prove the guilt of Gonzalez.
According to The Parisien, PSG will soon have access to exclusive video footage available to BeIN Sports.
This channel broadcast the match to the countries of the Middle East.
It is noted that the video clearly shows how the Marseille defender calls his opponent a “monkey” in Spanish.
In France, the meeting was shown by Telefoot.
However, its representatives have already rushed to declare that they have no proof of the Spaniard's guilt.
Among other things, PSG issued a statement in which it took the side of its football player and stated that for 15 years it has been fighting against any manifestation of discrimination.
“PSG strongly supports Neymar, who reported that he was subjected to racist abuse by an opposing player.
The club once again declares that there is no place for racism either in society, or in football, or in our life, and calls on everyone to speak out against any form of racism around the world, ”the club's official website says.
Even the Brazilian government drew attention to the incident in the French championship.
The Ministry of Women, Family and Human Rights (MMFDH) issued an official statement expressing support for Neymar and condemning Gonzalez's behavior.
“The striker, whom Marseille defender lvaro Gonzalez called 'ape', was sent off for reacting to this biased act.
This is not the first time Neymar has fallen victim to racism in football.
The Secretariat for the Promotion of Racial Equality Policy strongly condemns all acts of violence and denial, especially episodes of discrimination based on skin color, ”the ministry said.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro also supported the compatriot by reposting his message on his Twitter page.
In it, the forward said that the defender insulted him on racial grounds.
Subsequently, a discussion ensued between the players on Twitter, during which the parties were not without insults.
Neymar expressed regret that he hit Gonzalez in the back of the head, and not in the face, and demanded that he admit his guilt, and Alvaro advised his opponent to learn to accept defeat.
Gonzalez himself also did not remain without supporters.
His mentor Andre Villas-Boas stood up for the footballer.
He expressed confidence that the Spaniard was not a racist and said that Neymar knew firsthand about the false accusations.
Thus, the former coach of St. Petersburg "Zenith" hinted at a story of rape, in which the Brazilian was involved.
“He suffered a lot because of this and knows very well what words can mean when it comes to false accusations.
It’s not good for Alvaro either.
A very delicate question.
Marseille and PSG are here to help get to the bottom of the truth, ”said Villas-Boas.
At the same time, Marseille defender Valentin Rongier assured that he had not heard any insults against Neymar from Gonzalez and spoke highly of his teammate.
According to the Frenchman, he always behaves respectfully, even if he makes fun of a person.
“When he turned on his phone at the airport upon arrival in Marignane, he saw death threats from people from all over the world.
And this is on charges that have not even been proven.
Now he is going through difficult times ... I am sorry that such a story happened on the football field, ”added Rongier.