Sao Paulo player accuses Fortaleza athlete of racism

Matheus Ferreira, the midfielder of the Sao Paulo U-20 team, accused Roco, a Fortaleza player, of committing racist insults during the duel between the two teams for the quarter-finals of the Brazilian Cup in the category, which was held at the Presidente Vargas Stadium in Fortaleza.

The incident occurred 26 minutes after the start of the first half, paralyzing the match for approximately four minutes, due to FIFA’s anti-racism protocol, which was initiated by referee Paulo Vitor de Lima Pereira. According to information from reporter Marta Negreros, from SporTV (Grupo Globo), members of the technical committee of Tricolor Paulista stated that the Leao player said “Shut up, monkey!” For the Jordanian player.

Following the alleged violation, there was confusion among the athletes, with Sao Paulo players questioning the Chilean club from Fortaleza about the phrase: “Who is the monkey?”

In an official statement, São Paulo commented on the case and strongly condemned this racist act.

On the field, the Tricolor Paulista team defeated the Fortaleza team with a score of 2-0, with goals by Pedro Ferreira and Gustavo Santana. The return match is scheduled to take place next Wednesday (19), at 3:30 pm (Brasilia time), at the CT Stadium in São Paulo.

Official note from São Paulo in full:

“Sao Paulo Football Club strongly denies the racist act that occurred against the player Djordne during the match against Fortaleza, on Wednesday, in the Brazilian U-20 Cup.

There is no room for racism in football or anywhere else in society. The club will provide all necessary support to the athlete and will take appropriate measures in the face of this disgusting incident.”