Agency Report –
FIFA has launched an investigation against Pachuca player Gustavo Cabral on suspicion of having made a racist remark against German Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger during the teams’ match at the Club World Cup in the United States.
Football’s ruling body told dpa that its disciplinary commission started their probe after receiving the match report from the referee.
Rüdiger accused Cabral of having used a racist remark against him in stoppage time of Sunday’s match in Charlotte which the Germany defender had entered a few minutes earlier as a substitute.
Rüdiger informed referee Ramon Abatti, who stopped the match and crossed his arms in front of his chest, a gesture used under FIFA protocol to indicate that a match official has noticed or been reported a racist incident.
The match, which Real won 3-1 against their Mexican opponents, was then completed a few minutes later.
“We support Toni and we’ll see what happens. The FIFA protocol has been activated and we support him. It’s unacceptable and we believe what he said,” Real coach Xabi Alonso said post-match.
Cabral, 39, was quoted by Argentinian media as dismissing the allegations: “There was nothing racist. I called him a bloody coward, as we say in Argentina. That’s all.”
