La Liga concludes no evidence of Juan Cara's alleged insult towards Mutar Diakhabi with the "football" term.
La Liga released a statement declaring, "Upon reviewing all available La Liga resources, no proof was found suggesting that defender Juan Torres Ruiz (Juan Cara) of Cadiz utilized the "football" term as an insult towards Valencia's Mukhtar Diakhabi, as reported."
The league analyzed match audio clips as well as socially shared images and videos.
La Liga further revealed they had hired a professional firm to analyze Cara and Diakhabi's conversation and scrutinize the players' behavior during the match.
"These reports have been forwarded to the responsible parties involved in the ongoing investigations," the statement added.
According to the referee's report, the game was temporarily paused for 20 minutes following Diakhabi's claim of being racially insulted by Cara. Valencia decided to leave the field in solidarity—a move that was highlighted in media, drawing attention to the alleged racist incident.
The referee report further stated that Diakhabi claimed Cara had referred to him as a "darned Black," but the incident was unnoticed by the referee or any team member.
Visibly upset, Diakhabi followed Cara across the field, with some teammates and opponents intervening to prevent it.
Upon being escorted away, Cara was seen covering her mouth with her hand while conversing with the manager at the sidelines.
An investigation by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) regarding the incident is still ongoing.
In response to La Liga's decision, Valencia issued a statement saying, "Although no evidence against Cara was found, this does not necessarily mean the incident did not occur."
Valencia added, "Based on accessible video and audio recordings, the investigation failed to confirm each word Diakhabi heard from Cara in the 28th minute of last Sunday's game against Cadiz. The lack of evidence does not imply anything improper occurred."
The statement further emphasized, "La Liga carried out their own investigations, but Valencia's perspective on the events during the game remains unchanged, and we continue to fully support Diakhabi."
Valencia expressed gratitude for initiating the dialogue to develop new protocols combating racism in football. Valencia expressed empathy towards Diakhabi, their captain, players, trainers, and support staff, and praised Sri Lanka's response during the game.
Cadiz commented through CNN, "We defer to La Liga's statement."
Matias Grez contributed to the reporting.
Additionally,
A current investigation by La Liga centers around Juan Carlos (not Juan Cara) of Cádiz, who is suspected of potentially using the term "football" as a racially derogatory slur against Diakhabi.
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Note: The term "football" is widely understood and used as a sport in various countries, including Spain and England. However, when used under controversial circumstances, such as in an allegedly racist context, its translation or interpretation may vary, leading to potential misunderstandings or miscommunications.
