“The racist and xenophobe must be identified, located and punished by the competent authorities,” said the management of the club in the Brazilian city of Fortaleza in a statement published on their social networks.
The entity alluded to the behavior of a River Plate fan who threw a banana at Fortaleza fans in the match for the second day of the group stage, an insult described as racist and which was recorded in widely publicized videos.
“Racism and xenophobia are crimes and our institution reinforces the request for Conmebol to take a position on the rapid identification of the perpetrator so that all the corresponding measures are taken,” the note adds.
Despite its allusion to the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol), the entity responsible for the Copa Libertadores, the Brazilian club does not directly mention the possibility that the Argentine team is also responsible for what happened. On the contrary, he assures that “the club was well received and the fans thoroughly enjoyed Buenos Aires”.
“River Plate, one of the biggest clubs in the world, received us in a polite and honorable manner, which is nothing compared to the act mentioned,” says Fortaleza, a club that claims to have two million fans “of all kinds and colors”.
River Plate also referred to the matter in a message posted on social networks and announced that it is trying to identify the person responsible for the act in order to sanction it. In the note, the Argentine team expressed “its absolute rejection of the racist and xenophobic gestures of a fan towards the visiting sector and announces that it is already adopting the corresponding measures to identify the guilty party and apply the corresponding sanctions.”
Wednesday’s victory over Fortaleza with goals from Enzo Fernández and Uruguayan Nicolás de la Cruz allowed River Plate to consolidate itself as leader of Group F of the Libertadores together with Chilean Colo Colo, with six points, after two victories.
A babaca that is in the crooked River lent itself to that role of playing banana for the crooked Fortaleza non-Monumental de Nuñez. Ridiculous and totally unnecessary dinner!
Feito video by a friend who is lá nas arquibancadas. pic.twitter.com/bMISRd8dRA
— Lanio P.
(@alaniotv) April 14, 2022
The entrance Fortaleza executives ask for sanction for racist act in Argentina was first published in diary TODAY.
