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Cadiz Player Juan Cala Denies He Made Racist Comment

Cadiz Player Juan Cala Denies He Made Racist Comment

The Cadiz player decided to use the phrase 'public lynching' to describe how he'd been treated following the weekend's La Liga game.

Ryan Sidle

Ryan Sidle

Juan Cala has denied racially abusing Valencia player Mouctar Diakhaby during a La Liga game at the weekend, claiming he has been the victim of a 'public lynching.'

Diakhaby and his teammates left the pitch during their match with Cadiz on Sunday, after the defender was involved in an incident with Cala and accused his opponent of racist abuse.

The players did eventually return to the pitch to complete the game, though the Valencia defender understandably refused to carry on.

On Tuesday, the 24-year-old defender took to Twitter to reveal that the Cadiz player had called him a 'sh***y black' during the incident.

Cala however is denying those claims and hosted a press conference on Tuesday to have his own say, disgustingly using the phrase 'lynching' on more than once occasion.

Talking at his press conference, the 31-year-old called the incident a circus and claimed he'd only told his opponent to 'leave me alone.'

"I don't know what has happened to the presumption of innocence. Nobody deserves this public lynching. Here's my phone number to at least apologise," the former Getafe player said.

"I don't know if Diakhaby made it up, if he misinterpreted it? I don't know.

"I've lived with Chinese, South Africans. I've been in Guinea with [Frederic] Kanoute and Benjamin [Zarandona].

"It's incredible what is happening. I am in a state of shock.

"We are [playing] football without a crowd. There are 20-25 cameras, microphones, players, referees... and nobody hears anything.

"As soon as the match was over, I told the president that I wanted to go out and speak [about what had happened].

"He tells me that I have already been sentenced. At 8 o'clock in the morning I told him again that I wanted to go out [and speak]. I came out [to speak] when Cadiz said so.

"Since Sunday my lawyer has been compiling the data to start legal action. But I have received messages from everywhere with a lot of support, because I have been the target of a lynching right now."

Finally Cala claimed that there wasn't an issue with race in Spanish football, adding, "There is no racism in Spanish football.

"I have no problem sitting down with him. What has developed is a circus."

In response to the press conference, Valencia simply said, "Juan Cala, we don't believe you"

Featured Image Credit: Cadiz/Premier Sports

Topics: valencia, Racism, Football, La Liga