The defender has been heavily punished for discrimination; however, the Finland international has been banned for three games for his response
Slavia Prague defender Ondrej Kudela has been banned for 10 matches for racially abusing Glen Kamara; however, the Rangers midfielder has been given his own three-game suspension for his response.
The pair clashed at the end of the Europa League last-16 second-leg match at Ibrox, with Kamara reacting furiously after he was racially abused by Kudela, before several players on both sides became involved in confrontations.
A UEFA investigation has now ruled that Kudela was guilty of racism and has been banned; however, Kamara will have to sit out three games himself for “assaulting another player.”
What did UEFA say?
A statement from the European football governing body said that an investigation by its Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector had decided: “To suspend SK Slavia Praha player, Ondrej Kudela, for the next 10 UEFA club and representative team competition matches for which he would otherwise be eligible to play, for racist behaviour.”
It said the suspension is back-dated to include the Europa League quarter-final first leg between Slavia and Arsenal, for which Kudela was not selected.
UEFA introduced a 10-match ban for discrimination in 2013. It is the maximum punishment they give for a player found guilty of racially abusing another footballer.
The statement also says the inspector had decided “to suspend Rangers player, Glen Kamara, for three UEFA club competition matches for which he would otherwise be eligible to play, for assaulting another player.”
What did Kudela say to Kamara?
Kamara says Kudela called him a “f*cking monkey” towards the end of the game at Ibrox, which Slavia won 2-0 to progress to the last eight of the Europa League.
He told ITV: “[Kudela] came over and said ‘you’re a monkey, you’re a f*cking monkey and you know you are’. From there I reacted and said ‘he’s racist, he’s racist’.
“From there I had a lot of emotions going through my mind; angry, upset, I felt humiliated. All my family, friends, fans, whoever is watching, I felt like a little boy.
“I didn’t know how to feel to be honest, I was at a point where I was so angry I had tears in my eyes. I haven’t felt like that in God knows how long. It was a really weird feeling.
“For that to happen, from a so-called fellow professional, it’s crazy. It’s something you don’t expect in the game. Words can’t explain how I felt. Hopefully, I never have to feel that again. It was crazy really.”
Kamara’s manager Steven Gerrard brought up the moment in his post-match press conference, expressing disgust at what happened.
“I feel angry,” Gerrard told reporters. “It’s difficult to describe how I feel now because I know Glen and I trust him 100 per cent. It’s extremely disappointing.
“Glen Kamara to me is one of my own. I 100 per cent believe what he is saying in terms of the accusation.
“Other players around him heard it so I will stand toe to toe with Glen Kamara and I’ll deal with this however Glen wants to deal with it. I am proud of all my players showing solidarity and from the top of this club to the bottom we stand with the players.”
Why has Kamara been banned?
A scuffle broke out between Rangers and Slavia players in the final five minutes after Kudela whispered in Kamara’s ear. In a statement, Slavia claimed Kamara had attacked Kudela in the tunnel following the final whistle.
Slavia president Jaroslav Tvrdik wrote in a statement. “Our player was physically attacked after the match. At the request of Slavia, the case was resolved by the local police. We would like to see a detailed investigation of the whole situation by UEFA.”
Which games will Kudela miss?
The ban is for UEFA competitions, which rules Kudela out of the remainder of Slavia’s Europa League campaign, and the Czech Republic’s games at Euro 2020.
The Czechs are due to face England, Scotland and Croatia in Group D, including playing the Scottish side at Hampden Park in Glasgow.
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