Valencia asks for an investigation and regrets that the players were “forced” to play

1. Mouctar Diakhaby has today become another victim of racism in football.

2. After suffering an intolerable racist insult, you have still received the yellow card for protesting.

3. We are proud of the support Diakhaby has received from his teammates and of the decision to leave the field en bloc.

4. We trust that this event will be investigated.

5. To our disappointment, no decision was made.

6. The Club at no time urges its players to return to the pitch. The referee conveys to the players the potential consequences of not returning to the field of play. The players, forced to play under threat of penalty after the racist insults and the yellow card to Diakhaby, decide to return to the field of play.

7. Diakhaby has asked his teammates to go back out onto the pitch and fight. His colleagues have respected his will.

8. What happened today should never happen again in football.

9. Valencia CF is against racism and expresses its full support for Diakhaby. Today is a sad day for our sport.

10. What we have lost today is not a match, today the respect and spirit of football and sport has been lost.