Soccer World: Scottish officials deny Neymar racism claim

Scotland officials have denied Brazilian forward Neymar was the victim of racist abuse during the friendly match between the two teams at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Neymar told reporters after the game that a banana was thrown on the pitch in his direction and that he was the target for racist chants during Brazil’s 2-0 victory over Craig Levein’s side. He was also booed when he was substituted after 89 minutes, having scored twice in an otherwise uneventful game.

Now the Scottish Football association have released a statement insisting the Santos striker wasn’t the target of abuse from the travelling Scottish supporters, and insisted the boos were for “perceived unsporting behaviour” during the match.

It read: The Scottish FA refutes claims from Neymar that he was the victim of racist jeers."

“The tens of thousands of Scotland fans who travelled to London were, in fact, commended for creating a carnival atmosphere not just inside the stadium but across the city throughout the weekend." It continued.

Police match commander Mark Sheeran backed the claims of the SFA, saying: “The Scottish fans' behaviour was first class. There were no issues at all inside the stadium."

Officials from the SFA have contacted their Brazilian counterparts to discuss the issue and relay Scotland’s unhappiness at the allegations made by Neymar.
The incident occurred when a banana was thrown on to the pitch late in the game, which was then removed by Lucas Leiva, who plays in a Liverpool shirt.

Speaking to Brazilian TV, Neymar said: This atmosphere of racism is totally sad. We leave our country to play here and something like this happens."

"They were jeering me a lot, even when I was about to kick the penalty the entire stadium was jeering. It's sad. I would rather not even talk about it, to keep the subject from escalating." He added.

Lucas also condemned the crowd for their alleged actions, and believes Europe is a hotbed for racism.

"They say it's the first world here in Europe, but it's where it happens the most. That has to change. Everybody is equal today. It's a matter of respect." He commented.