Originally posted by cantagalo
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Firminho Racism Allegation
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yeah. The other thing is that as we learned in both the suarez and terry cases is that you're not even allowed say something that translates as "big black guy" on the pitch even if you are talking to your best friend in a friendly way. You're really just not allowed to make any reference at all to nationality or skin colour whatsoever.
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Originally posted by hobbes View PostIf he indeed said anything after that.
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Well that's why the FA are investigating, surely? We don't know what evidence there is outside what we could see, which was inconclusive, or what's in the referee's report.
It's entirely possible that neither of them are lying. It could have been misheard or misunderstood. I see no reason to doubt Holgate either heard or believes he heard whatever he reported. His reaction was genuine. By the same token, if Firmino denies it and none of the other 3 people within earshot heard it, and there's no video evidence, what would you do? Punish Firmino anyway?
That's why the ref and the FA are doing the right thing investigating. It's a shame the FA are usually so terrible at this sort of thing.
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If it transpires that Holgate was mistaken no blame should attach to him of course.
And it needs to be reiterated publicly that Holgate and Everton and the ref did exactly the right thing. (Well apart from Holgate deliberately shoving Firmino into the hoardings, obviously.)
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Yeah, we are in agreement, most importantly in as far as jumping to conclusions is concerned. I certainly would not propose punishing Firmino unless there is evidence that he indeed said what Holgate claims.
The ideal solution would be that both parties can agree that the incident was predicated on a reasonable misunderstanding. But in absence of that, questions will remain unanswered. Let's hope the FA has become better at investigating such things.
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No action.
“We are completely satisfied that the allegation was made in absolute good faith by Holgate and that there is no suggestion of this being an intentionally false or malicious allegation,” an FA statement confirmed.
“We appreciate that this has been a difficult process for both parties, and would like to express our thanks to Mason Holgate and Roberto Firmino as well as both clubs for their assistance, professionalism and full co-operation during this investigation.”
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Firmino statement:-
“As someone who has experienced racist abuse during my life, I know how damaging and hurtful it can be.
“I would like to place on record, for the avoidance of any doubt, I did not say the word, or a variation of the word, that was claimed and subsequently reported in the media.
“I did not use any language that referenced race. I did not – and would never – reference a person’s skin colour or culture, by means of insult, during a dispute or an argument.”
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