Fluminense manager Fernando Diniz has denounced racist chants targeted towards him during their Copa Libertadores Group D tie at Estadio Monumental on Wednesday night.
The Argentine giants won the game 2-0 which saved them from early elimination from the group stage with one more round of fixtures left to play.
The match in Buenos Aires was however marred by racist chants hurled at Diniz which he described as “shameful” for Argentina as a country and called on the South American football governing body CONMEBOL to take the necessary action.
“Only if you have European genes you are considered a person? This is shameful. It’s an embarrassment for the country, for the city, for the club to allow such kind of fans,” the Brazilian tactician said after the game.
“They are not fans, they should be in jail. This has to be considered a crime. And, regarding football in the world and in South America, CONMEBOL must take action. If they look at the security cameras’ footage, they will see many people calling me monkey, Many! And thinking this was fun.”
The racist abuse against Diniz comes on the back of the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro in the eponymous Brazilian state signing the “Vini Jr. law” which allows for games to be interrupted or cancelled if a racist incident occurs.
The law is named after Real Madrid and Brazilian star Vinicius Junior who has been the subject of multiple racist abuse incidents during the just-concluded season in Spain.
Fluminense is based in Rio de Janeiro.
