FoxSports
PARIS (AP) – Auxerre midfielder Kamel Chafni plans to file a complaint with police and wants the French league to take action against a linesman he claims racially insulted him during his side’s 1-0 defeat at Brest on Saturday.
The Morocco international, who was sent off in the second half, claims that linesman Johann Perruaux insulted him.
Chafni told sports daily L’Equipe on Sunday that when he told Perruaux that he had failed to spot defender Gregory Lorenzi’s foul on forward Roy Contout, the linesman responded with a racial slur.
”There was a foul that wasn’t signaled, I went toward the linesman and told him that it wasn’t normal,” Chafni told L’Equipe. ”He answered ‘Get lost, Arab.”’
Chafni then went to protest to match referee Tony Chapron, who gave him two consecutive yellow cards and a red card.
”I went to see the referee, I explained to him what happened,” Chafni said. ”He showed me a yellow card, I told him, repeated (to him) that it was unacceptable, and he shows me a red (card).”
The 29-year-old Chafni wants Perruaux to be punished.
”(I) want to go all the way with this. It’s serious, it goes beyond sport,” he said. ”I hope the league opens an inquiry and will clamp down. If they don’t believe me, my place is no longer in French football. I’m outraged.”
Chafni says that Contout, Brest forward Larsen Toure, and Brest’s physiotherapist all heard Perruaux’s racial slur.
The French league has not yet commented on the matter. Chafni intends to file a complaint at his local police station.
