Fifa has opened disciplinary proceedings against Pachuca captain Gustavo Cabral over allegations of racist abuse towards Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger.
Rudiger clashed with Cabral in the closing stages of Sunday’s Club World Cup match in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The defender then spoke to referee Ramon Abatti Abel, who crossed his arms in front of his chest to signal that Fifa’s anti-racism protocol had been activated.
Cabral denied he racially abused Rudiger, saying he had used an expletive and called him a “coward”.
The match, which Real won 3-1, ended soon after the incident and players argued again following the final whistle.
Governing body Fifa’s three-step process for racist incidents is stopping a match, suspending it and abandoning it if the problem continues.
Speaking after the game Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso said Rudiger had complained of a racist incident.
“In football there is no tolerance for this, and if it happened, then measures should be taken,” he said. “This is what Antonio has told us and we believe him. It’s being investigated now”.
Cabral said: “It was a fight. We collided. He said that I hit him with my hand, and then there was an argument and the referee made the racism sign, but I was telling him the same thing the whole time.”
In 2021 Rudiger, then at Chelsea, said “nothing ever really changes” after anti-discrimination campaigns in football, but that he will “continue to fight” against racist abuse.
Last week, campaigners criticised Fifa after it appeared to drop anti-racism messaging at the Club World Cup.
[BBC]