Four football players from River Plate, one of Argentina’s main professional clubs, were released this Friday by Brazilian authorities, after being arrested last week on charges of attacking a ball boy with racist insults.
The four Argentine players were competing in the Ladies Cup, a generally friendly international tournament created to promote women’s soccer. Organizers later claimed that River Plate had been eliminated from the tournament and suspended from participation for two years.
River Plate condemned the players’ alleged actions and said in a statement that the club was taking appropriate disciplinary measures and “will continue to work to eradicate this type of behaviour”.
Reuters attempted to contact the lawyer for River Plate’s athletes but received no response.
Brazilian football has been dealing with issues surrounding racist behavior for decades, including previous incidents involving players and fans from neighboring Argentina.
Last week, in Sao Paulo, police arrested Candela Diaz, Camila Duarte, Juana Cangaro and Milagros Diaz after a match against Grêmio do Brasil. The Brazilian club accused the four players of making racist comments and gestures.
The Sao Paulo State Court ordered the release of the Argentine players, provided they remain in Brazil until the investigation into the incident is concluded and report monthly to the authorities.
The authorities also ordered the players to pay 25,000 reais in compensation to the ball boy if investigations found that they attacked him with racist insults.
In recent years, Brazilian striker Vinicius Jr. has faced racism in Europe and the player has called on sports authorities, including Spain’s national soccer federation, to do more to punish offenders and prevent future incidents.
Source: Terra
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