The Atlético de Madrid player Gio Queiroz Garbelini has denied having called her rival Fatou Dembélé “black” in the Queen’s Cup semi-final, an accusation that the Costa Adeje Tenerife players had made after the brawl that marked the last minutes of Tuesday’s tie.
In that final phase of the match a series of incidents occurred, particularly after Fatou will push from behind and knocked down an Atlético de Madrid player with the stopped ball, a fact that earned him immediate expulsion.
At that moment a brawl formed and after a few minutes of tension and heated verbal exchanges, referee Olatz Rivera decreed the anti-racist protocol because, according to the match report, Noelia Ramos, goalkeeper of Costa Adeje Tenerife, told him that Gio had called Fatou Dembele “black”, although the referee team did not hear it.
“I want to make it clear that at no time did I utter the word negra nor did I carry out any type of racist demonstration,” the Brazilian declared on her social networks this Wednesday. “I categorically reject any act of racism and It hurts me deeply that my name is being associated with such a serious lie.. I fully trust that the investigation that is being carried out will clarify the truth of what happened,” adds the 22-year-old forward, who also has Spanish nationality.
“I sincerely appreciate the support received from my teammates, the club, my family and all the people who know me and know what I am like both on and off the field,” concludes the Atleti youth player.
The Madrid team won the second leg 0-1 and 0-2 on aggregate, qualifying for the final of the Queen’s Cup.
