Paris St Germain forward Neymar has accused Marseille defender Alvaro Gonzalez of racism after a stormy end to the Ligue 1 clash which saw five players sent off.
In a series of tweets, Neymar, who was one of the players red-carded, directly accused his opponent and challenged the authorities to use VAR to establish the facts around the incident.
Neymar and team-mates Leandro Paredes and Layvin Kurzawa, plus Marseille pair Jordan Amavi and Dario Benedetto, were dismissed after trouble erupted in added time following Paredes’ shove on Benedetto.
PSG announced on Monday that they were standing firmly behind the Brazilian and welcomed a full investigation into the incident.
A PSG statement read: “Paris Saint-Germain strongly supports Neymar Jr. who reported being subjected to racist abuse by an opposing player.
“The club restates that there is no place for racism in society, in football or in our lives and calls on everyone to speak out against all forms of racism throughout the world.”
PSG added: “Paris Saint-Germain looks forward to the LFP’s Disciplinary Commission to investigate and ascertain the facts, and the club remains at the LFP’s disposal for any assistance required.”
Neymar was the fifth player sent off after referee Jerome Brisard had consulted VAR, with replay footage clearly showing the forward punch Gonzalez on the back of the head.
The Brazilian later accused Spaniard Gonzalez of racism in a direct response to his rival on Twitter, writing: “You are not a man to assume your mistake, losing is part of the sport. Now insulting and bringing racism into our lives no, I don’t agree. I DON’T RESPECT YOU! YOU HAVE NO CHARACTER!”
Earlier, Gonzalez had used the social media platform to deny racism and accuse Neymar of being a bad loser after the title favourites’ shock defeat.
Gonzalez wrote: “There is no place for racism. Clean race and with many colleagues and friends on a daily basis. Sometimes you have to learn to lose and take it on the field. Incredible 3 points today.”
In a separate tweet, Neymar also proposed officials pore over VAR footage of the alleged incident, adding: “VAR catching my aggression is easy, now I want to see the (footage) of the (opponent).. that’s what I want to see. What’s up.”
