The player was arrested and then bailed after making alleged racist remarks during a football match in Brazil
(Photo by Silvio Avila/Getty Images) © Getty Images
Rafael Ramos, a Portuguese player who represents Brazilian side Corinthians, was arrested following heated exchange with Internacional player Edenilson during which he was alleged to have made racist remarks on Saturday.
Ramos was booked by the referee following a coming together of the two rival players but was subsequently arrested by police following the game amid reports from local media that he refused to apologize when confronted by Edenilson, prompting him to make a complaint to authorities.
He was subsequently released from police custody when Corinthians paid a bail sum of just under $2,000.
Rafael Ramos Dificilmente vestirá a camisa do Corinthians novamente,Claramente chamando Edenilson de macaco . pic.twitter.com/zWMZnSAyIM
— Olivering (@Luis_oliver18) May 15, 2022
According to reports, Ramos was alleged to have called Edenilson a “monkey”.
The match referee stated that he did not overhear the alleged slur but he was told by Edenilson that an incident had occurred and recorded in his official match report.
It is expected that Brazilian football authorities will conduct an investigation into the allegations, after which the police will further investigate.
It was also expected that players from both teams will be asked to give evidence, while lip-reading experts will be brought in to examine video footage of the alleged incident.
In a statement after the game, Internacional said: “It is unacceptable that events of this type still occur in 2022, there is no room for racism in our society.”
In his own comments after being released from custody, Ramos stated that the allegations were little more than a misunderstanding.
“I have a clear head to explain what happened. It was purely a misunderstanding between me and Edenilson,” he said, via translation.
“At the end of the game, we had a quiet conversation, I explained what had happened, he explained what he had understood, which is not true. I explained the truth, we had a quiet conversation.
“He showed fear of pretending to be a liar, and I explained to him that he is not a liar, he just understood the words, he misunderstood what I said. That was it, we shook hands and I wished him good luck.”
