FIFA Protocol Activated as Alonso Calls Incident “Unacceptable”; Cabral Insults Were Misunderstood
Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger was involved in a heated exchange with Pachuca captain Gustavo Cabral after Sunday’s Club World Cup semifinal, with the German international alleging he was racially abused. The incident occurred moments after Madrid’s 3-1 victory, prompting an immediate reaction from Rüdiger, who reported the matter to referee Ramon Abatti Abel.
Madrid coach Xabi Alonso confirmed the allegations in his post-match press conference, standing firmly behind his player. “Toni told us what happened, and we support him completely. If this is true, it’s unacceptable—football has no tolerance for racism,” Alonso said. “FIFA’s protocol has been activated, and if the investigation confirms it, the necessary measures must be taken.”
Cabral, however, denied any racial slur, claiming his words were misinterpreted. The 39-year-old Argentine defender admitted he called Rüdiger a “coward” in Spanish but insisted there was no racist intent. “The referee signaled for racism, but I was saying the same thing the whole time—’coward,'” Cabral explained.
Pachuca coach Jaime Lozano said he was unaware of the incident until questioned by reporters. “This is the first I’m hearing of it,” Lozano admitted. “I can’t justify anything without knowing the facts, but I’ll speak with Cabral. In my time knowing him, I’ve never seen behavior like this from him or any Pachuca player.”
FIFA has yet to release an official statement, but the governing body’s anti-discrimination protocols are expected to guide the next steps. The football world now waits to see whether further action will be taken as tensions from the match continue to unfold.
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