Four River Plate players were arrested by Sao Paulo police and accused of racist insults, Sao Paulo’s public security secretary told The Associated Press on Saturday.
On Friday, a semifinal of the Women’s Brazil Cup between Argentina’s River Plate and the Brazilian team of Grêmio arrested in the first half after Candela Díaz of River Plate accused of having made gestures from the monkey to a ball collector, according to transmitted photographs and local media.
Díaz was arrested along with his teammates Juana Cangaro, Milagros Naiquen Díaz and Camila Ayelen Duarte, the players’ lawyer, Thaïs Sankari, told the AP. They remained detained on Saturday.
Sankari said the River Plate players reacted only after being provoked.
“We see in this resolution a great arbitrariness and a desire on the part of the Brazilian justice system to send a message. They used this case for that purpose,” he stated.
After Diaz’s gestures on Friday, Gêmio’s players went to protest. The referee showed red Rio players after a fight in the box and finished the adjustment since there is no longer the minimum number of players who needed to continue.
The score was 1-1 but the referee granted the adjustment to Grêmio, who will play the final of the tournament on Sunday.
Brazil’s Women’s Cup suspended River Plate for two years on Saturday.
Tournament organisers said in a statement on Saturday that future editions will immediately ban any participating team whose athletes or staff “engage in racist gestures on the playing field.”
“The organization reaffirms its anti -racist posture and emphasizes that will tolerate this type of incidents,” said the organizers.
Grêmio said on X it was supporting its players, who would file a police report.
“We know what happened and condemn any discriminatory act,” the team said in the press release.
Grêmio’s coach, Thaissan Passos, said his players told him that his River Plate players had called them “monkeys. “
“Incidents like this continue to occur. How long will we continue to affirm that racism does not exist?” She told Sportv’s local radio station.
Díaz has commented on it publicly.
River Plate also condemned the discriminatory gestures. The club said that at A On X, it was “taking appropriate disciplinary action and would continue with paints to remove such behavior. “