GOAL

Valencia defender Mouctar Diakhaby has spoken about the clash with Juan Cala during the game with Cadiz that resulted in his side walking off the pitch on account of racism.

The Liga game between the two sides on April 4 was halted following a clash between Diakhaby and Cala, with the former visibly upset with his Cadiz opponent.

Cala has denied any wrongdoing, but Diakhaby has said the Cadiz defender called him a “black sh*t” after the pair tangled for possession in the box.

What has Diakhaby said?

An investigation by LaLiga found no evidence of guilt, but Diakhaby has said he would stand up in court if necessary and face Cala.

When asked if he would be prepared to speak in front of a judge with Cala present, Diakhaby told As: "Of course. I’m not afraid. I’ll reiterate what I understood, because I understood it only too well.

"I’ve been in Spain almost three years now and I understand almost everything. And those types of words, even more so. They are not difficult words to understand. 

“If no proof of what happened is found in the investigation it’s my word against his. I understand that. 

“Without proof I don’t think he’ll be punished. That’s logical. But we’ll see. I hope that proof is found and everything possible is done to find that proof.”

Education key for Diakhaby

Sadly, racism is rife in countries around the globe and Diakhaby feels the best way to tackle the issue is by education.

“There is racism in society and in every country, it’s not just Spain,” he said. “It happens in Spain, in England, in France. It’s everywhere. That’s why it’s something we have to stop. People have to think before they say something, we are all human and we’re all equal. 

“I don’t know Cala personally, I can’t say if he’s racist, I don’t know him, but he used a racist word and he should be punished because if we let these things go, we’ll never stamp out racism in society. 

“I’ll say it again, I don’t know Cala personally and I can’t say he is racist. But he has said a word that he has to account for, in the same way I should pay if I made a mistake like that. 

“If there is no punishment it’s as good as saying we can say whatever we like and we can’t fight to eradicate racism like that. 

“There’s a lot of talk about stopping racism, but not much is done about it.”

"There are always insults"

Football is a high-stakes game, and Diakhaby is aware that insults are traded between players. However, he says Cala crossed a line with that he said.

“On the pitch everyone wants to win and sometimes we get angry,” he said. “There are always insults during games and what happens on the pitch stays on the pitch… but not in every case. People can insult me, but never about racial issues. You should never hurt someone because of the colour of their skin.

“A man should respect another man’s race. We can’t let this be overlooked.”