BEVERLY HILLS, April 04, (THEWILL) – There was a strong show of solidarity in La Liga on Sunday when Valencia’s players walked off the pitch during their match against Cadiz, and the club issued a statement denouncing racism, after an incident involving Mouctar Diakhaby.
The match was well underway and into the second period, when, just before the half-hour mark, Diakhaby and Cadiz’s Juan Cala got into an altercation on the halfway line after both players had tangled in the Valencia box moments before. The tussle was so intense Diakhaby had to be pulled away from Cala. Still, the Valencia defender remained furious.
Shortly afterwards, the entire Valencia team left the field. The club later confirmed that a meeting took place over whether to resume playing based on the origin of the incident, which had to do with a racist slur directed at Diakhaby’s person.
In a statement released by the club, it was revealed that Diakhaby had urged his team to resume the game while also calling for an end to racism.
Diakhaby, who was handed a yellow card for his reaction, was substituted prior to the game being restarted.
The club shared their position via their official handle on Twitter with the words: “We offer our complete backing to @Diakhaby_5
“The player, who had received a racial insult, requested that his teammates return to the pitch.
“WE SUPPORT YOU MOUCTAR.
“𝗡𝗢 𝗧𝗢 𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗜𝗦𝗠”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
