Uefa rebuked for dropping Rhian Brewster racism claim against Spartak captain

Kick It Out, English football’s main anti-racism group, has heavily criticised Uefa and described itself as “deeply disappointed” that the latest investigation involving alleged abuse against the England Under-17s World Cup winner Rhian Brewster has been dropped due to lack of evidence against the Spartak Moscow player who was accused.

Uefa’s decision not to punish Leonid Mironov is the latest disappointment for Brewster after a series of alleged incidents that compelled Liverpool’s 17-year-old striker, with the support of his club, to approach the Guardian in December for an interview in which he said he had personally experienced racial abuse, or witnessed it happening to a team-mate, seven times in his young career, including five occasions in the previous seven months.

Mironov was accused of racially abusing his opponent during a Uefa Youth League tie in December but the Russian player denied the allegation and Uefa’s investigation, which involved interviewing two match officials and five players from either side, could not find anybody else who heard the alleged words. Uefa has specified that it believes Brewster made the allegation “in complete good faith” but will not take any action on the basis it was one man’s words against another.

In a statement Kick It Out said: “The organisation is deeply disappointed with the findings of the independent investigation, with this outcome likely to give further encouragement to those who wish to be abusive in the sport.

Source: theguardian