In what seemed like a quiet Sunday afternoon, after half an hour of the game, Cádiz-Valencia was momentarily suspended. The visiting players were leaving the pitch after an incident between Juan Cala and Mouctar Diakhaby. The problem? An alleged racist insult by the Cadista footballer towards the French central defender.
Moments later, after an uncertain wait, 21 protagonists were returning to the pitch. However, the “victim” stayed in the locker room. Valencia himself wanted to ensure through his official Twitter account that he condemned any racist act, but that they returned to the pitch because his partner had asked his teammates “to return to the field to fight”. Then, after the break, Álvaro Cervera chose to replace Cala.
This is a fact that adds to the long list of one of the main problems in the world of football: racism. A new case that joins others of the most notorious in recent times, such as that of Eto'o in Zaragoza, Dani Alves in the Estadio de la Cerámica, the fight between Neymar vs Álvaro González, that of Iñaki Williams in the RCDE Stadium or that of PSG-Istanbul Basaksehir.
Coltescu and Webó in a PSG-Basaksehir
It was the last most famous precedent before what happened in Cádiz. This time, during a Champions League match. It was in a PSG-Basaksehir last December, when in just over a quarter of an hour of play, it stopped. The former player and now part of the coaching staff of the Turkish club, Pierre Webó, accused Sebastian Coltescu of racism. “Throw out the black”, were supposedly the words of the fourth referee to refer to the Cameroonian. This fact led to the withdrawal of both teams and the suspension of a match that had to be resumed the following day.
Casilla and his 8-game penalty
Just over a few weeks ago, Kiko Casilla was officially sanctioned with eight games and about 70,000 euros for allegedly uttering a racist insult to Jonathan Leko, a Charlton player. This took place in a match against Leeds United, from the FA Cup on September 28. The Spanish goalkeeper flatly denied it, but the FA ignored his allegations, seriously condemning his actions.
The duel Neymar vs Álvaro González
In this case, it was an endless pile of accusations. On September 13, 2020, in the final moments of a hot PSG-Olympique de Marseille, a tremendous tangana was unleashed. This caused it an alleged racist insult by Álvaro González towards Neymar, who responded immediately with a slap. Before, during the meeting, the Spaniard received a spit from Ángel Di María. A confrontation that, to this day, continues to last, sparking every time the faces are seen, even their cross statements through their social networks.
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Marega leaves the field with Porto
On February 16, 2020, Moussa Marega was another of those who said enough. In the 70th minute of a Vitoria Guimaraes-Oporto, the Malian forward decided to leave the pitch. He ended up fed up with the continuous racist insults he was receiving from the local fans. What's more, he left while dedicating several combs to the attackers. On the other hand, he even called the match referee a “scoundrel”.
Williams and the “uh, uh, uh” from RCDE Stadium
Just over a year ago, on January 25, 2020, Athletic Club visited the RCDE Stadium. However, football took a back seat the moment Iñaki Williams, in the 69th minute, while leaving for one of the funds after being substituted, received from a sector of the stands the shouts of “uh, uh, uh, uh”. The Basque forward did not hesitate to answer them with a “sons of bitches”. “I'm leaving a little sad because of the draw and because I have suffered racist insults. It's something that no player of any race wants to hear. It is something that is totally out of place. People have to come to the stadium to enjoy football and cheer on their team. This is a friendship sport, a team sport, it's a bit sad day ”, were his words after what happened.
Zozulia and the songs of “Nazi” in Vallecas
No, it was not a case of racism. However, this was a fact that set a precedent. On December 15, 2019, Albacete visited Vallecas. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian forward was greeted with shouts of “Zozulia, fucking Nazi” and “fascists out of Vallecas”, which caused the referee to stop the match. Shortly after, the duel was suspended to “safeguard the values of sport” as reported by the La Mancha club.
Lerma and his accusations to Aspas
Another event to join the list was the one that occurred during a Levante-Celta. It was on January 15, 2018, when, after the game, Jefferson Lerma it exploded into Bien Sports microphones. “Aspas called me a shitty black,” the Colombian declared. In addition, he wanted to add that he notified the referee, Álvarez Izquierdo, during the match, but he passed on his complaints. “I have told him, but he told me that he was fed up with protests and he did not listen to my words.”
Dani Alves and the banana in Villarreal
One of the most striking events was the one that took place in the old El Madrigal (now Estadio de la Cerámcia). It was April 27, 2014, in a Villarreal-Barcelona, when Dani Alves approached the corner to execute a corner kick, and from the stands they threw a banana at him. The Brazilian did not hesitate, he picked it up from the ground and ate it.
Busquets and the famous “mucho morro”
This is one of the best known, without a doubt. It was during a 'Clasíco', accentuated, if possible, for being the semifinals of the Champions League in 2011. The protagonists were Marcelo, from Real Madrid, and Sergio Busquets, from Barcelona. The Brazilian, after a struggle with the azulgrana, assured that he came to call him “monkey”. Nevertheless, the Spanish international, not only flatly denied it, but added that he actually said “a lot of nose”. Indeed, the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Committee opened a procedure, but dismissed any sanction due to lack of evidence.
Eto’o and his threat to leave Zaragoza
One of the first footballers who decided to stand up to racism in football was Samuel Eto’o. For his part, the Cameroonian forward went around the world with his images in La Romareda, wanting to leave the field of play during a Zaragoza-Barcelona in 2006 after receiving racist insults from the stands. He decided to catch the ball and stand before the fourth official saying that he had received racist insults and that he “couldn't take it anymore”.