Rayo Vallecano vs Albacete match abandoned after striker Roman Zozulya subjected to 'Nazi' taunts

AFP via Getty Images
Ben Hayward16 December 2019

Rayo Vallecano’s league game at home to Albacete on Sunday night was suspended after chants from the home fans calling Ukrainian striker Roman Zozulya a “f****** nazi”.

Supporters at Vallecas had to be asked over the loud speaker to stop shouting “Roman Zozulya, f****** nazi” to the 30-year-old Albacete forward.

After the match was stopped during the first half and at the interval, the decision was made to suspend it altogether.

“With the backing of Rayo Vallecano, Albacete Balompié and LaLiga, the referee and the RFEF (Spanish Football Federation) have decided to suspend the match at Vallecas,” Albacete said on Twitter.

“A decision made with the sole objective of safeguarding the values of the sport we love and our competition.”

Rayo Vallecano fans were asked to stop the chanting.
AFP via Getty Images

Zozulya moved to Rayo on loan from Real Betis in 2017, but never played a game for the Madrid side following fan protests accusing him of nazi affiliation after the emergence of some photos on social media.

The player strongly denied those links in an open letter to supporters.

But the club ended up rescinding his contract and he returned to Betis, before joining Albacete in the summer of 2017.

LaLiga released a statement to confirm they supported the decision of referee José Antonio López Toca to suspend the second-tier match following what they called “serious insults and threats” aimed at Zozulya.

“At LaLiga we continue working to eradicate violence, racism and xenophobia in the stadiums of Spanish professional football,” they said.

Zozulya’s agent, Vladimir Kuzmenko, later defended his client in an interview with Cadena SER.

“These things hurt,” he said. “I don’t know what to tell the people who call Zozulya a neo-nazi. It’s unfair.

“He’s not a neo-nazi, of course not. He’s simply a Ukrainian patriot.”

Rayo are likely to be hit with a fine for the the behaviour of their fans at Vallecas, but president Raul Presa claimed the Madrid club had been “a victim” in the controversy.

“For us, this was a vital match,” he said in quotes published by Rayo’s Twitter account. “The majority of the fans were respectful. We feel sadness and shame that this happens.

“Rayo is a victim. We have put all forward all the means at our disposal. The coach called for respect. We have been a victim.”

And he added: “We won’t tolerate any type of violence. It’s a sad night for Rayo and for sport.”

Zozulya, who formed part of Ukraine’s squad at Euro 2016, might be remembered by Tottenham fans for a head-butt on defender Jan Vertonghen in a Europa League tie with Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk at White Hart Lane in 2014.

The decision to suspend Sunday’s game has also been met with criticism by many in Spain, with no matches called off in the past despite a whole range of insults and abuse in recent years, including clear examples of racism, homophobia, sexism and the mocking of dead players.

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