By David Gold
December 22 – It may have been with a phone call rather than a handshake, but Auxerre midfielder Kamel Chafni and French assistant referee Johann Perruaux have done as FIFA President Sepp Blatter advised, and settled a race row between themselves after a league game.
During Auxerre’s 1-0 defeat to Brest last Saturday (December 17), Chafni alleged in L’Equipe that Perruaux said “get lost, Arab” after the midfielder claimed that a foul had been committed on one of his team mates.
When the Moroccan complained about the incident to the referee, Tony Chapron, he was given a second yellow card and sent off, though the French league President Frédéric Thiriez immediately ordered an investigation when the racism allegation was made.
Though Chafni had said he would file a complaint with police, the matter has now been closed, according to the French club.
A statement by Chafni and Perruaux on the Auxerre website says that after a phone call, the assistant referee had admitted telling the midfielder to “get lost”.
Perruaux said that he regretted his behaviour but that he did not racially abuse the player, which Chafni has apparently accepted as true.
Racism has become increasingly prominent recently after two incidents in England, where Liverpool’s Luis Suarez was this week given an eight game ban for allegedly racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra.
Chelsea and England captain John Terry is also now facing a police charge of allegedly racially abusing QPR’s Anton Ferdinand, it was confirmed yesterday.
Earlier this year, French national coach Laurent Blanc came under pressure after reports emerged that he and other Football Federation (FFF) officials had allegedly discussed an ‘ethnic quota’ which would limit black and North African players’ involvement in academies, though the former Bordeaux coach was later cleared by an investigation.
In Holland, Ajax legends Johan Cruyff and Edgar Davids were embroiled in a race row recently when the former was accused by another board member of the Dutch club of racially abusing the latter.
Both later played down the incident, and in November, Blatter caused outrage in England when he suggested that when racist remarks are made on the field of play they should be settled with a handshake afterwards.
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