OneFootball
·23 June 2025
In partnership with
Yahoo sportsOneFootball
·23 June 2025
Antonio Rüdiger made his comeback at the Club World Cup against Pachuca. He clashed with his opponent and subsequently made serious allegations against Gustavo Cabral.
Real Madrid was leading against the Mexican club shortly before the end with a score of 3:1. After a corner, the DFB star fell to the ground with a pain-distorted face. Opponent Cabral had hit the defensive ace in the face after a previous scuffle. Subsequently, Rüdiger confronted his opponent.
📸 Richard Pelham - 2025 Getty Images
However, according to Rüdiger, the reason was not the hit to the face. As Alonso confirmed after the game, his protege had been racially insulted by Cabral:
"He explained to us that there was a racist incident and the FIFA protocol was activated. It is being investigated. We believe him. This is unacceptable," explained the new coach of the Royals at the press conference after the 3:1. There is no place for racism in football.
Even after the final whistle, the 32-year-old did not calm down.
📸 Richard Pelham - 2025 Getty Images
Several supervisors had to intervene to keep Rüdiger away from Cabral and other players of the Mexican first division team. Even on the way to the locker room, the two players clashed again.
And how did Cabral respond to the allegations? The 39-year-old insisted after the game that he had been misunderstood. He had called Rüdiger a "coward" (quote via 'Sport1'). The Spanish word he used for it was merely similar to another one with a racist undertone. He also told this to the referee, the Argentine explained.
His coach also commented on the situation at the press conference. "I've known him for quite a while and have never heard of anything like this in connection with Pachuca players," emphasized Jaime Lozano after the final whistle (source: 'Sport1'). However, the coach announced that he wanted to talk to his player.
Now FIFA will investigate the case.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.
📸 Richard Pelham - 2025 Getty Images