River Plate women’s team players released from prison after being arrested for allegations of racism in Sao Paolo.
River Plate women’s players released from prison after arrest for alleged racism.
Four members of River Plate’s women’s football team, who were all detained for allegedly using a racial slur during a game against Grêmio, have been ordered to leave prison by a Brazilian judge.
The four members of the Argentine club, Candela Díaz, Camila Duarte, Juana Cángaro, and Milagros Díaz, were released by Judge Fernando Oliveira Camargo, provided they stayed in Brazil and appeared in court in São Paulo each month until the issue was resolved.
Following the events during the Brazil Ladies’ Cup match on December 21, the players spent Christmas at the city’s Carandiru prison. TV broadcast footage showed Candela Díaz making what appeared to be monkey signals to a ball boy, which led to the first half of the São Paulo match being stopped.
Grêmio players left the pitch in protest of the incident, which started with scuffles after the Brazilian team scored in the group stage match. Six River Plate players were then given red cards by the referee, who decided to halt the game because the visiting team lacked enough men to continue.
Despite the score being 1-1, the referee gave the victory to Grêmio, who defeated his countrymen Bahia on penalties to win the invitational tournament final. River was also barred from the Brazil Ladies’ Cup for two years.
The quartet’s lawyer, Thais Sankari, told AP: “We see in this decision a great arbitrariness and the Brazilian judiciary’s desire to send a message. They used this case for that purpose.”
According to Thaissan Passos, the coach of Grêmio, her squad informed her that River players had previously referred to them as “monkeys.” Any participating team whose athletes or personnel “engage in racist gestures on the playing field” would be instantly banned from future editions, according to the organisers.
Additionally, River denounced the discriminatory actions. “Taking the appropriate disciplinary measures and will continue to work to eradicate such behaviour,” the club declared. The four players who were taken into custody have not yet discussed the case in public.
Due to racist gestures by their supporters, particularly during men’s football games against Brazilian clubs, South American sports organisations have regularly sanctioned Argentinean clubs.