Xabi Alonso, the manager of Real Madrid, revealed that defender Antonio Rudiger reported a racist incident following Sunday’s 3-1 victory over Mexican club Pachuca in the Club World Cup.
Rudiger appeared visibly upset after a heated exchange with Pachuca’s Gustavo Cabral at the conclusion of the match and subsequently addressed Brazilian referee Ramon Abatti Abel.
Cabral refuted the accusation, denying that he had directed any racist comments towards the German defender.
In the post-match press conference, Alonso commented: “Toni mentioned something to us, we stand by him and will see how things unfold.”
“I believe FIFA’s protocol has been activated to look into this matter, and if the incident did occur, appropriate actions must be taken. We fully support Antonio as such behaviour is unacceptable.”
“In football, there is no room for tolerance regarding these issues, and should it have happened, consequences are necessary. This is what Antonio has informed us, and we trust him. An investigation is currently underway,” he stated.
Cabral, 39, addressed the matter post-game, asserting that his comments had been misinterpreted by Rudiger.
The Argentine claimed he had called the defender a “coward,” with the Spanish phrasing used being similar to a term associated with racist insults.
“The referee signalled for racism, but I was consistently calling him the same thing – (coward),” Cabral explained.
Pachuca’s head coach Jaime Lozano was also questioned regarding the incident, but stated he was unaware of any issues that had arisen.
“I just learned about it from you; this is news to me. We didn’t discuss it in the dressing room, and I haven’t spoken to Cabral about it, so I can’t provide an explanation,” he remarked.
“Such behaviour cannot be justified at all, but I will have a conversation with him. I’ve known him for a short time and have not encountered similar allegations involving Pachuca players. I can’t defend my captain under any circumstances, but I will certainly discuss it with him,” he added.
FIFA has not yet responded to requests for a statement.
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