Slavia Prague release statement alleging Ondrej Kudela was the victim of a "prepared and deliberate" assault following the Europa League game against Rangers at Ibrox on Thursday; there were ugly scenes during the game after Glen Kamara claimed he was racially abused by Kudela
Saturday 20 March 2021 15:32, UK
Slavia Prague say they have filed a criminal complaint for an alleged "brutal" assault on Ondrej Kudela after Thursday's game against Rangers.
Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara claimed he was racially abused by Slavia's Czech international centre-back Kudela towards the end of the Europa League second-leg tie at Ibrox, which led to angry scenes on the pitch and in the tunnel after the game.
UEFA said it was "aware of an incident which occurred in the tunnel after the end of the match" and has since confirmed it has launched an investigation into Thursday night's events.
Slavia released a statement on Friday to say their reputation was "being smeared without a single piece of evidence" following Kamara's accusation.
Later on Friday, the Czech club released another statement in which they alleged Kudela was the victim of a "prepared and deliberate" assault after the game, and confirmed they had filed a criminal complaint with the Czech Embassy in London, who they said will submit the club's grievance to Scottish police.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said on Friday: "No reports of criminality have been made by either club in connection with last night's match. Police Scotland has contacted club officials and assured them that should any allegation be received it will be investigated thoroughly."
Slavia alleged Steven Gerrard was among the witnesses - along with UEFA delegates and members of the Czech club's staff - to an attack "carried out with full force with the intention to hurt".
"SK Slavia Prague filed a criminal complaint with Scottish police through the Embassy of the Czech Republic in London for physical assault on player Ondrej Kudela," the statement read.
"Physical assault on Ondrej Kudela was a prepared and deliberate act which included covering cameras on the site of the incident.
"The assault was brutal and carried out with full force with the intention to hurt and cause physical harm to our player.
"In the text, the names of people who witnessed the incident are stated, as well as SK Slavia Prague representatives, including UEFA representatives and Rangers FC manager Steven Gerrard."
Sky Sports News has contacted Rangers for a response.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Kamara's lawyer Aamer Anwar described Slavia Prague's defence of Kudela as "nonsensical", and says the Rangers midfielder is seeking a "robust investigation" from UEFA into the incident.
"For far too long the responses that black players have got after been subjected to racist abuse from fans or players has been extremely tokenistic. What Glen wants to see is a robust investigation, exemplary sanctions to be taken against the player, and if necessary, against the club.
"I also note the denial by Slavia Prague who claim Glen was not [racially abused] by this player and I have to say the defence is nonsensical.
"What happened at the match was that this player said something along the lines of 'just wait a second my friend', he then leaned over, cupped his mouth and then spoke into Glen's ear and using expletives called him a monkey.
"The defence that Prague then turn round and say that he didn't actually say that, that he used an expletive and called him a guy. It's just nonsense."
Meanwhile, Slavia Prague chairman Jaroslav Tvrdik says he is "ashamed" of an offensive picture posted by a group of the club's fans on social media.
The picture that emerged on Instagram shows people holding a banner containing a racist word about Kamara.
The official English language Slavia Prague Twitter account retweeted Tvrdik, head of the board of directors at the Czech champions, who labelled the image "disgusting, embarrassing, racist".
That was followed by a statement from the club via the same official Twitter account on Saturday which also condemned the picture posted to social media.
"The club is absolutely disgusted by the racist photograph published online by a group of alleged "fans" on Friday night," it read.
"We condemn this act as totally unacceptable, and we distance ourselves from it. It is an unprecedented backstabbing of the club and its ideals.
"SK Slavia Praha has filed a criminal complaint against unknown individuals involved in the preparation and publishing of the picture. The club will launch its own inquiry into this matter in order to identify those individuals.
"Racism has no room in our club, and we have been fighting against it for a long time. Every player is considered a member of our family, no matter what the colour of their skin, their nationality, cultural background, or religion is.
"We fully support our players in their current fight against racism and against the above mentioned picture on the social media.
"Slavia has great fans who many times managed to amaze the football world in a positive way. We ask them to join us, and publicly sign up to zero tolerance of racism and condemn such behaviour.
"Let's present the real, cultivated, and noble Slavia we are all proud of."
UEFA has confirmed it will conduct an investigation into the incidents that occurred at Ibrox.
It said in a statement: "In accordance with the Article 31(4) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector will conduct an investigation regarding the incidents that occurred during the 2020-21 UEFA Europa League round of 16 second leg match between Rangers FC and SK Slavia Praha on March 18 2021."
Gers lost 2-0 on the night as they were knocked out 3-1 on aggregate, with Steven Gerrard's side having Kemar Roofe and Leon Balogun sent off.
Speaking after the highly-charged game, Gerrard gave his full backing to Finland international Kamara and urged UEFA to investigate the alleged racist abuse of his player.
"Glen Kamara to me is one of my own, like all of them in that dressing room," said Gerrard.
"I 100 per cent believe him, what he's saying in terms of the accusation. Other players around it heard it. I will stand toe-to-toe with Glen Kamara."
In a statement released on Slavia's English language website, Kudela admitted he had used offensive language but added: "It was said in emotions, but I absolutely deny there was anything racist in those words."
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