Rio de Janeiro, May 15 (EFE).- Portuguese winger Rafael Ramos was arrested on Saturday night -and released after paying bail- after being accused of racial insult by a rival during the match in which his club , Corinthians, current leader of the League in Brazil, drew 2-2 with Internacional in Porto Alegre.
Ramos was detained by the Police at the specialized police station at the Beira-Río stadium in Porto Alegre after the midfielder Edenilson, an Internacional player, accused him of having uttered an insult with a racist connotation during a discussion they had on the field at the minute 30 of the second half.
According to Edenilson, who justified his decision on social networks, explained that he only went to the police because he was waiting for an apology that he never received and said he had no doubts about what he had heard, Ramos told him “foda-se macaco” (fuck you monkey) during the discussion.
The right back argued in his defense that the midfielder was surely confused by his Portuguese accent from Portugal, a little different from the Portuguese from Brazil, and that what he said was “foda-se, caralho” (fuck you), an insult usual in your country but without racist connotation.
“I have a clear conscience. It was all just a misunderstanding. He misunderstood. I talked to him, I explained to him and we even shook hands,” said Ramos, who hinted that Edenilson chose to file a complaint out of “fear.” to pass for a liar”.
Corinthians, which came out in defense of its player and attributed the incident to a misunderstanding, explained in a statement that the arrest occurred because Brazilian law provides for it in this type of case and that the payment of the bail – assumed by the club – does not mean acknowledgment of guilt.
The Sao Paulo club reaffirmed in its note that, “consistent with its 111-year history, it repudiates and does not tolerate racism”; that Ramos gave a different version to that of Edenilson and that he even went to the Internacional dressing room to try to clarify the misunderstanding and deny any type of racial insult.
“But, as a result of the complaint made by the Internacional player, the law requires that the case be treated as flagrant followed by arrest. The payment of bail does not imply admission of guilt and allows the player to defend himself in freedom during the investigation” , explained the leader of the Brazilian League.
The International, also in a statement, lamented a new case of racism in football. “It is inadmissible that cases of this type still occur in 2022. There is no room for racism in our society. The People’s Club reiterates that it repudiates any act of prejudice and that it supports its athlete,” the note states.
The commissioner of the Civil Police of Porto Alegre Carlo Vitarelli, responsible for the arrest and for the investigation, explained that the player was arrested inside the stadium and released after paying the bail of 10,000 reais (about 2,000 dollars), which allows him defend himself in freedom during the process.
After the alleged insult and after the ball left the field, Edenilson went to the match referee, Braulio da Silva Machado, to report what had happened.
The game was interrupted for five minutes while the players argued with each other and gave their different versions to the referee, who cited the complaint in the official match report.
The incident occurred a few days after the Conmebol (South American Football Confederation) announced changes in its regulations to toughen the sanctions and fines provided for in cases of racism after episodes of the type were recorded in some matches of the Copa Libertadores and Copa Libertadores. la Sudamericana, mostly against Brazilian fans. EFE
cm / i
–
