Spanish investigation opened after QPR U18s allegedly suffer racist abuse during match with AD Nervion

QPR said their players walked off in the second half of a match against AD Nervión
QPR
Ben Hayward15 August 2019

The Andalusian Football Association (RFAF) has opened an investigation after QPR’s youth players allegedly received racist abuse in a friendly game against Spanish side AD Nervión earlier this month.

QPR said their players walked off in the second half of a match against AD Nervión in southern Spain on August 8 after members of the team were subjected to monkey sounds and racist abuse from their opponents.

In a statement on Thursday, the RFAF revealed the fixture was not officially authorised by their Federation nor overseen by one of their associated referees, but said there would be sanctions if the incident was confirmed.

Below is a full translation of their statement, which was posted on the RFAF’s website:

“In the light of the news in different national and international media denouncing the alleged racist and discriminatory treatment of the Seville club A.D. NERVION in the friendly match played on August 8 against QUEENS PARK RANGERS and which led to the abandonment of the playing field by the British team, the RFAF wishes to state the following:

1. This Federation, as is well known, is very conscious of preventing any racist, discriminatory or humiliating attitude or treatment in football, even more so when there are minors on the football pitch and one of them is the victim. For this reason, the RFAF carries out an express and overwhelming condemnation of the incident, if the alleged acts in the aforementioned meeting are confirmed.

2. The RFAF wishes to make it very clear that it was not aware of the holding of the match in which the British club was participating, since it was not communicated by local club A.D. NERVION and thus could not be authorised by the RFAF, so no federate referee from the Andalusian Committee of Referees participated.

3. An information dossier has been opened prior to the initiation of a possible disciplinary case, in order to obtain as much information as possible of what happened at the meeting, and to be able to determine any possible responsibilities.

4. This Federation will not tolerate such attitudes on the Andalusian football fields and if the incidents are confirmed, it will impose strong sanctions on those possibly responsible.

5. On the other hand, if the incidents are confirmed, the RFAF welcomes the attitude of the minor English football players in leaving the playing field as victims of this alleged racist and discriminatory abuse. This behaviour by the English club is in line with what the RFAF, through its programme for defending minors and against child abuse in football, recommends to its associate partners (clubs, coaches, players and referees) in unacceptable situations of this kind.”

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