Barcelona, PSG condemn racist Yamal joke
Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) boycotted interviews with Spanish broadcaster Movistar after a racist joke made towards Barca youngster Lamine Yamal.
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Barcelona, PSG refuses interview with Movistar over racist comments
Barca won the Champions League quarter-final first leg, 3-2, over PSG at the Parc des Princes.
Before the match, the 16-year-old Yamal was seen performing tricks in the warm-up.
While footage of Yamal was up, German ‘Mono’ Burgos, Diego Simeone’s former assistant manager at Atletico Madrid, uttered the racist joke.
“If football doesn’t work out for him, he can end up [working] at a traffic light,” Burgos said.
Players and staff from both clubs refused to give interviews to Movistar after learning about the racist comments.
In addition, both PSG and Barca also avoided interviews from other media outlets.
Burgos offered his apology, stating that it was not his intention to offend Yamal, who is a Spain international with Moroccan and Equatorial Guinean heritage.
“I wish I had had the ability this kid has,” he said. “It was a comment made without meaning to hurt anyone. We talk about football, nothing else. If he felt offended, I am sorry and I apologise publicly.”
“It was not the intention. Sometimes humor gets you into trouble. In these times, you have to adapt to everything, and that’s what we are doing.”
Yamal shines for Barca
Yamal became the youngest player to appear in a Champions League quarterfinal, at 16 years and 272 days old.
The young right-winger assisted Raphina’s first goal for Barcelona in the opening half.
After Ousmane Dembélé scored a brace for PSG in the second half, Raphina drew an equalizer for a brace of his own.
Substitute Andreas Christensen then went for the game-winning header for the Catalan side in the 77th minute.
Barcelona will head back home for the second leg next Tuesday.
