April 02, (THEWILL) – Senegalese goalkeeper Cheikh Sarr endured a sickening racist incident during a Spanish third-tier league match on Saturday. The Rayo Majadahonda shot-stopper alleged a fan approached him just to hurl racial insults his way. The match against Sestao River Club was abandoned in the 84th minute after Sarr’s altercation with the alleged abuser.
“I grabbed him and asked why he was insulting me”, Sarr told reporters on Tuesday. “My attitude was not aggressive, I just wanted to ask him why.” Although the referee did not witness the alleged abuse and sent Sarr off, his teammates walked off the pitch in solidarity.
Racism has been a significant issue in Spanish football recently. Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr has been an outspoken victim and campaigner against the vile behaviour. The Brazilian endorsed Sarr on social media after Saturday’sincident, which the goalkeeper appreciated greatly.
Spanish football’s authorities have come under pressure to take stronger action against racism at matches. Sevilla’s Marcos Acuna and staff also suffered alleged “racist and xenophobic insults” from fans during a La Liga game at Getafe on the same day.
The incidents have sparked fresh calls for Spain’s football bodies to implement robust processes to identify perpetrators and enact severe punishments to help eradicate this reprehensible conduct from the game.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
