Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar issued a statement on his Instagram story Monday regarding racial abuse he said he faced from Marseille defender Alvaro Gonzalez:
The forward received a red card at the end of Sunday’s Ligue 1 match after hitting Gonzalez on the back of the head. He was one of five players sent off at the end of the 1-0 win for Marseille.
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Neymar told the fourth official about the alleged racial abuse as he left the pitch, further explaining his side in a series of tweets directed at Gonzalez:
“Yesterday I revolted. I was punished with a red because I wanted to hit someone who offended me,” he said Monday on social media. “I thought I could not leave without doing something because I realized that those in charge would not do anything, did not notice or ignored the fact.”
PSG put out a statement saying they will “strongly support” Neymar and “there is no place for racism in society, football or in our lives,” via BBC Sport.
The LFP will determine if any further discipline is required for the players involved in Sunday’s match.
After losing to Bayern Munich in the Champions League final, Paris Saint-Germain have struggled to start the Ligue 1 season. The defending champions have lost each of their first two matches after tallying just three losses in the shortened 2019-20 campaign.
Neymar is heading into his fourth season with the club after the Brazilian transferred from Barcelona in 2017.
