Rate it!

0 votes

The Japanese J-League has launched an investigation into Tokyo Verdy striker Leandro's claim that an opponent had mocked him with racist taunts.

Tempers frayed after the final whistle of Wednesday's second division game between Verdy and Ventforet Kofu when Leandro was booked for protesting too little injury time had been played.

The Brazilian then claimed Kofu defender Arata Sugiyama had called him a "chimpanzee" in Portuguese amid the melee that followed.

The J-League told Reuters on Thursday that they were conducting a formal investigation into the 28-year-old striker's comments.

"He says a Kofu player called him a monkey," Verdy manager Takuya Takagi told Japan's Asahi newspaper.

Sugiyama, who is also alleged to have waved his arms in the air in an apparent ape-like gesture, has denied making any remarks to Leandro.

"I didn't say it," he told Japanese media. "I don't speak Portuguese."

Incidents of racism towards black players are rare in the J-League, although crowd violence has become a problem at some grounds, notably Japan's best-supported club Urawa Reds.

Eurosport