Spanish league finds no proof of racial abuse by player

By: The Associated Press Posted: 5:02 AM CDT Friday, Apr. 9, 2021 Last Modified: 6:01 AM CDT Friday, Apr. 9, 2021

MADRID - The Spanish league said Friday it has not found any evidence to support accusations by a player who said he was racially insulted during a match last weekend.

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MADRID - The Spanish league said Friday it has not found any evidence to support accusations by a player who said he was racially insulted during a match last weekend.

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MADRID – The Spanish league said Friday it has not found any evidence to support accusations by a player who said he was racially insulted during a match last weekend.

The league said it has analyzed all the available video and audio of conversations between the two players, including hiring a company specialized in lip reading, but found no proof of racially abusive language.

The incident occurred during Sunday’s game between Cádiz and Valencia. The Valencia players walked off the field after Mouctar Diakhaby said he was racially insulted by Cádiz defender Juan Cala. Diakhaby is Black. Cala has denied any wrongdoing.

FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2020, file photo, Cadiz's Juan Cala and Real Madrid's Isco, left, fight for possession during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Cadiz at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium in Madrid, Spain. Valencia stopped playing its Spanish league game at Cadiz on Sunday, April 4, 2021, and walked off the field after one of its players said he was racially insulted by an opponent. The club said it resumed the game after feeling threatened by the referee with the loss of points. Valencia left the field after Mouctar Diakhaby said he was insulted by defende Cala, who denied any wrongdoing. Cadiz, from southern Spain, condemned racism but said it "cannot comment on incidents that arise between players during the course of play.” (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)

In response to the league’s conclusions, Valencia said “just because evidence was not found does not mean that the incident did not occur.”

“Even though the league has carried out its investigation our club does not change its opinion on what happened and maintains its complete support of Diakhaby,” Valencia said.

The match continued after the Valencia squad returned saying it felt threatened by the referee with the loss of points.

The incident is also being investigated by the Spanish soccer federation.

The Spanish government sent a letter on Wednesday to the league and federation expressing “concerns with situations like this,” which have been happening “often in soccer competitions in our country.”

The league said in its statement that it “condemns racism in all its forms and maintains its commitment to combating any of its manifestations.”