Cheikh Sarr has stood before the microphones three days after he became the focus of all eyes for his reaction to the racist insults coming from the stands in the last game of his team, Rayo Majadahonda, against Sestao. The Senegalese apologized to the entire football world for his response: he grabbed a fan who was verbally attacking him from the stands by the scarf. But he also considered his subsequent expulsion from the match as unfair: “If I receive a sanction, it will surprise me, because it would be unfair. A person cannot be the victim and then punish them,” the 23-year-old goalkeeper said on Tuesday.
Although he expressed regret for his actions, Sarr acknowledged that it “really bothers him” to ask for forgiveness when he is the victim of the situation, but that it seemed like the right thing to do. “I’m not doing it for this boy (the fan who insulted him), but for the image of football,” said the man who had to put up with being called a “fucking black man” or a “fucking black man,” in his own words. “My reaction was that because I wanted to talk about it and I grabbed him to ask him why he had insulted me and if he had a family. On top of that, he was an older person and he has to be an example,” said the goalkeeper, who assures that his intention was never to physically attack the fan.
Sarr also thanked the expressions of support he has received, which have been joined by everyone from his own teammates to players from the rival team. Vinicius Júnior, a Real Madrid player who has become the most visible face in the fight against racism in Spain, also demonstrated his empathy with the Majadahonda goalkeeper, something that the Senegalese himself appreciated and praised when he had the opportunity.
According to sources within Rayo Majadahonda, Sarr has the full support of the institution so that the sanction imposed is invalidated. The referee of the match wrote in the minutes that the goalkeeper had addressed him in a “violent manner.” Given this, Sarr affirms that he only approached to talk. “My act on the referee was not an aggressive act. I went to talk about it and express it, and suddenly I saw the red card. “Then I spoke with him and after the game he supported me and I’m grateful,” he added to downplay the referee’s way of acting, which has also been a point of criticism. Finally, Sarr said that the club’s support has extended beyond sports, with the support of the team’s psychology department, headed by María José Morillas, whom he especially thanked because she “does not stop” helping him.
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