La Liga say they found 'no proof' that Cadiz defender Juan Cala used a racial slur in a spat with Mouctar Diakhaby following an investigation into the events which prompted Valencia to storm off the pitch in protest.
Valencia players left the field during the first half of their game with La Liga rivals Cadiz on Sunday before they later returned to complete the game without Diakhaby.
The team later released a statement in which they named Cala as racially abusing Diakhaby, the former French underage international who joined the club in 2018. The club also explained their decision to return to finish the game, saying that they did so - without Diakhaby - to avoid forfeiting and facing further censures from La Liga officials.
Also on rt.com Spanish club Cadiz say investigation will clear star of racism allegations ‘for the good of football’Cadiz eventually won the game 2-1 thanks to a late winner from Marcos Mauro Lopez Gutierrez.
Earlier this week, Diakhaby released a video online in which he claimed that he heard Cala use the phrase "negro de mierda", which roughly translates to "sh*tty black".
However, in a subsequent press conference Cala denied using any type of racial slur in relation to Diakhaby, and also threatened legal action against Valencia president Anil Murthy.
Cala explained that he said "leave me alone" to Diakhaby and any allegations of racism were either the result of a misunderstanding or because Diakhaby was inventing it.
The league's investigation examined evidence from audio recordings at the game as well as video footage which they say didn't show any proof of Diakhaby's allegation.
Also on rt.com Spanish footballer denies calling rival ‘sh*tty black’ – as journalist asks if players could INVENT racism as excuse to walk offHowever, their finding doesn't mean that further steps cannot be taken as the Spanish Football Federation have also launched a probe of their own.
"The available audiovisual and digital files have been examined: the audio from the game, the images broadcast and what has appeared on social media have been analysed," La Liga announced.
"To complement the report we have employed a specialist company to carry out a lip-reading analysis of the conversations and to study the behavior of Juan Torres Ruiz [Juan Cala] and Mouctar Diakhaby.
"After an analysis of the material, the conclusion has been reached that in none of the material available to the league is there any proof that Juan Torres Ruiz insulted Mouctar Dikhaby in the terms alleged.
"La Liga has passed these reports on to the clubs involved and the relevant authorities so that they can form part of those ongoing investigations."
Valencia, though, signaled that they are dissatisfied with La Liga's finding, saying that the results of the probe do not indicate that a racial slur was not used.
"The fact that no proof has been found does not mean that the matter did not occur," the club said.
"The club have by no means changed our opinion on what occurred in the game, and maintain our full support for Diakhaby.
"It is necessary to continue working with La Liga, the institutions and the rest of the club's to ensure that these types of racist incidents are never repeated."