Olympique Marseille has revealed that Brazilian defender Alvaro Gonzalez has been receiving death threats since his confrontation with Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar.
In a heated victory against the Ligue 1 champions on Sunday, tempers flared throughout the game as 17 yellow cards were issued out and five players were sent off, including Brazilian international Neymar.
Neymar claims he was racially abused by Gonzalez and this resulted in him shoving the defender in the head. Gonzalez, however, took to Twitter to claimed that he had never uttered any language that was racial in nature.
It is now revealed that Paris Sint-Germain fans have been calling the Marseille defender’s family on their personal telephone line and giving them threats.
Olympique Marseille released an official statement on the club’s website which wrote: “This controversy is serious and already has serious consequences. The club condemns the dissemination of private telephone numbers of Alvaro Gonzalez and his relatives on Brazilian media and social networks overnight, giving rise to constant harassment, including death threats,”
The club also added that it stands against racism and none of their players would pull such a defaming act.
“Alvaro Gonzalez is not racist, he has shown us this by his daily behavior since joining the club, as his teammates have already testified. The Olympique de Marseille is the very symbol of anti-racism in French professional sport, given its history and that of the city of Marseille, the diversity of its stands and the relentless struggle it leads. always to eradicate this scourge. Its players demonstrate it in their daily commitment on and off the pitch.”
PSG is reportedly backing Neymar racial abuse claims as the Ligue 1 is set to look into the replay of the confrontation.
