Talleres midfielder Miguel Navarro from Venezuela said Sao Paulo opponent Damian Bobadilla made a xenophobic remark during Tuesday’s Copa Libertadores clash, which saw the Brazilian side beat the Argentine team 2-1.
The incident occurred late in the match after Luciano da Rocha Neves scored the winning goal, sparking tensions on the pitch.
According to Navarro, an exchange of words turned bitter when Paraguayan Bobadilla allegedly said: “You starving Venezuelan”.
“I wish I could have in my hands the solution to the hunger that my country is experiencing, I hope that God gives me abundance to be able to help. I don’t think much can be done about mental poverty,” Navarro said on social media.
“I will never be ashamed of my roots, I will go to the last consequences in the face of the act of xenophobia that I experienced today in Brazil at the hands of Damian Bobadilla. In football there is no room for hate speech,” he added.
The Venezuelan Football Federation (FVF) has referred the matter to soccer’s world governing body FIFA and South American confederation CONMEBOL, urging them to take “exemplary measures to punish such behaviour and strengthen prevention and reporting protocols”.
“Venezuelan footballers have been the target of discriminatory behaviour both on and off the pitch. As a federation, we will not remain indifferent to these attacks, which violate our players and the very spirit of sport,” the FVF said in a statement.
Reuters has contacted FIFA and CONMEBOL for comment.
According to Brazilian media, Navarro reported the verbal abuse to local police, although authorities arrived at Talleres’ dressing room after Bobadilla had left the stadium.
Bobadilla issued an apology through a video posted on social media on Wednesday.
“We exchanged some rough words. I was offended at first but I apologise because, in the heat of the moment, I reacted badly. It wasn’t my intention to discriminate. If I get the chance to talk to Miguel, I will apologise to him directly,” the midfielder said.
