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The FA have released their report justifying their decision to find Kiko Casilla guilty of racial abuse toward Jonathan Leko earlier this season.
The decision was arrived at through their use of ‘balance of probability’, which has been criticised by Leeds United. But this is a difficult situation, racism can never be tolerated and The FA, regardless of the lack of concrete evidence, have to show their full opposition to racism.
An FA spokesperson said: “The FA wishes to provide clarity regarding the standard of proof used in its disciplinary proceedings, which is the civil standard. This means that cases will only be proven if the tribunal in question is satisfied on the balance of probabilities that the event in question occurred.
“As is clear from the written reasons, the independent Regulatory Commission gave the evidence in this serious matter very close scrutiny. Following this thorough process, the independent Regulatory Commission came to the unanimous decision that Mr. Casilla had racially abused a fellow player on the field of play.”
The incident report says that the two clashed before the taking a corner kick, which was stopped by the referee. Following Casilla’s clearance, Casilla allegedly shouted “You ****ing N*****,“ at Leko, which Casilla denies to the point of not even being aware of the word.
The BBC’s Adam Pope posted a thread below with more information:
The Independent Regulatory Commission has realeased its written reasons into Casilla’s ban (62 pages long). FA wanted a 10 match suspension but IRC felt that was too severe. #lufc
— Adam Pope (@apopey) March 3, 2020
Now, the news will likely result in Leeds fans demanding the Spaniard’s departure from the club. But the damage done to Casilla’s reputation, with a bumper wage on-top, it may be difficult to get rid of Casilla without making a big payout.
A further statement from the club has not been released, and it is unknown if the club will comment on the report.