Sunday’s Ukrainian Clasico between Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kiev was overshadowed by racist chanting from the stands, as champions Shakhtar took another step towards defending their title with a 1-0 victory.
Play at the Oblasny Sporkomplex in Kharkiv was interrupted for several minutes late on in the contest after Shakhtar’s Brazilian forward Taison responded to chants from the opposition fans by kicking the ball towards the fenced section holding the Dynamo supporters. When play resumed following communication over the loud speaker, Taison was issued a red card for his reaction.
During the moments following the stoppage, both Taison and teammate Dentinho were seen in tears and players from both sides attempted to console the Shakhtar pair. Shakhtar won the match thanks to an 18th minute goal from Sergiy Krivstov, extending their lead at the top of the Premier League to 12 points.
Znowu rasistowski skandal na Ukrainie. Taison nie wytrzymał, pokazał faka i wykopał piłkę w kierunku sektora Dynama. Sędzia kazał opuścić boisko obu drużynom. Taison dostał cz. kartkę.
— Kamil Rogólski (@K_Rogolski) November 10, 2019
Ofensas racistas da torcida do Dynamo de Kiev contra jogadores do Shakhtar, Taison e Dentinho. pic.twitter.com/WLM1hR462K
After the match, Shakhtar boss Luís Castro arrived at his post-match press conference and chose to issue a statement. It read:
“Good evening. Today, my players have once again shown their character. They were showing the character throughout the game. At this moment, I want to support absolutely everyone suffering from racism and the guys who have suffered today.
“Any manifestations of racism are absolutely unacceptable. It was, is, and will be a disgrace to everyone. Together, we must fight it - every day, every minute, and every second. Thank you.”
Shakhtar also released a statement, insisting that: “this kind of behaviour is unacceptable in any civilized countries and football leagues” and “such humiliating incidents cause pain and disappointment to the large football family of FC Shakhtar. We condemn this kind of behaviour of the crowd, we will always voice the support and protect our players. We are calling on football authorities and clubs to stop racism in the stadiums.”
By Sean Gillen
