The match between Real Madrid and Pachuca ended with a victory for Xabi Alonso’s team and a final row involving Rüdiger. The German came on in the final stages of the game when the coach decided to try out a three-man defense, and he was one of the protagonists in stoppage time and after the final whistle, when he confronted Cabral. It was his return to the pitch after the Copa del Rey final, in which he was sent off, and he took the opportunity to undergo surgery to repair his injured knee.
The incident between Rüdiger and Cabral
Antonio Rüdiger’s return to the pitch was once again surrounded by controversy in a play in which the German center back went on the attack and fell to the ground after a slight slap from a Pachuca player. The Real Madrid player vehemently demanded a penalty, and Pachuca captain Cabral reproached him for diving while on the ground.
This caused the German to jump up and the two players confronted each other, requiring several teammates and the referee to intervene. In the midst of the commotion, Rüdiger approached the referee, apparently angry, to tell him something Cabral had said to him. Upon hearing this, the referee made the anti-racism gesture.
After the match, Xabi Alonso confirmed that according to Rüdiger, there had been a racist comment. “That’s what Rüdiger said (that there was a racist insult) and we believe him. FIFA is investigating. It’s unacceptable.” According to SER, the German claims that the center back called him a “fucking nigger.”
FIFA investigates
Referee Ramón Abatti made the FIFA protocol gesture of crossing his arms when such incidents occur on the pitch. Now, Gianni Infantino’s organization, which was present at the stadium, will have to analyze the images and review what happened in order to take the necessary measures against the offender if Rüdiger’s statement is proven.
Contradictory versions
According to Rüdiger, the words were “black shit.” According to Cabral, “shit coward.” This is what SER reports. And that is what FIFA is investigating. The images of the match will have to be reviewed to decide who is right about the words used.
“There was nothing racist. I called him a fucking coward, as we say in Argentina. That’s all,” the Pachuca player told the media. Cabral came forward and explained his version of events with apparent naturalness: “There was a scuffle, I was kicked, he said I hit him with my hand, we argued. But that’s all. The referee signaled for racism, but I repeated the same thing to him the whole time: ‘cagón de mierda.’“
The footballer insisted that at no point were his words discriminatory, but rather that he used an expression that is very common in his country: ”There is no penalty for saying that, it’s just a word, period. There is no other intention,” said the Pachuca captain. He also threw a dice at Rüdiger, claiming that “He was saying ‘I’ll see you outside’ and making gestures to fight. I was also angry, we were arguing in the tunnel, but it didn’t go any further than that.”