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Odisha FC has issued an official club statement condemning the racial abuses forward Diego Mauricio faced during the ISL 2024-25 match against East Bengal FC at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan on 12 December 2024. Odisha FC has taken a strong stance regarding the incident and addressed their concerns about racism in sports.
The Club Statement
The official club statement published by Odisha FC on their social media handles is as follows:
It is extremely concerning and intolerable that Diego Mauricio has been the target of recent racial taunts. Any kind of racism has no place in either society or sports. In addition to undermining the spirit of fair play, it goes against the principles of unity, respect, and inclusivity that football is supposed to uphold.
Every person needs to be treated with respect and dignity, regardless of their origin, race, or ethnicity. To ensure that football is a place where all players may flourish without worrying about prejudice or bigotry, Odisha FC and the football community at large must join in denouncing such behavior.
In light of Diego’s abhorrent treatment, the club shall be providing him with the utmost assistance.
𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗕 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 | It is extremely concerning and intolerable that Diego Mauricio has been the target of recent racial taunts. Any kind of racism has no place in either society or sports. In addition to undermining the spirit of fair play, it goes against the… pic.twitter.com/PL9F7kBJxY
— Odisha FC (@OdishaFC) December 13, 2024
Fueling the fire
East Bengal FC broke the deadlock against Odisha FC but failed to keep their momentum, as Odisha FC came back from behind to score two goals and snatch away the victory in Kolkata last night.
However, the racial abuses targeting Odisha FC's Brazilian forward Diego Mauricio reportedly started in the 43rd minute of the game, when East Bengal's midfielder Jeakson Singh supposedly fouled Mauricio. Mauricio fell to the ground and appeared to be severely hurt, as match referee Tejas Nagvenkar decided to show a yellow card to Jeakson.
Jeakson, who was already on a yellow, had to receive his second yellow of the game and left the pitch disappointedly. The home crowd filled with East Bengal fans erupted in anger regarding this decision, and they started to racially abuse Mauricio.
📹 🟥 | WATCH: East Bengal's Jeakson Singh receives a controversial red card against Odisha FC!
— The Best 🇮🇳 ⚽ moments (@Moments_ISL) December 12, 2024
Commentator @masefield2110 says it was a "very harsh decision" by ref Tejas Nagvenkar 👀
Agree with the decision, or do you feel Diego over-reacted there?#EBFCOFC #IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/ojhR2uRzrr
There is no official statement that has been published by the Indian Super League regarding this incident, and the player has not spoken a word as well.