Czech league leaders have denied racism accusations against their player, Ondrej Kudela, and accused his alleged victim, Rangers' Glen Kamara, of punching his opponent after their Europa League game on Thursday; Slavia Prague say they will respect UEFA and Scottish police probes
Monday 22 March 2021 16:01, UK
Slavia Prague have vowed to respect the outcome of investigations into their controversial Europa League clash with Rangers - and take action if necessary.
The Czech league leaders have denied racism accusations against their player, Ondrej Kudela, and accused his alleged victim, Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara, of punching his opponent after the Europa League game on Thursday.
Kamara claimed Kudela's version of on-pitch events was a "complete and utter lie" and added that Rangers team-mate Bongani Zungu had heard what was said.
A statement published on Slavia's Twitter account read: "Everything that happened in Glasgow is now being examined by UEFA and - on our initiative - by Scottish police.
"We believe everything will be investigated and we will respect the decision. If the outcome warrants it, we will act.
"We hope that the situation will not escalate further and we will know the outcome of the investigation soon.
"We appeal to our fans to restrain from any inappropriate statements, and we believe that Rangers FC will do the same. It is the only possible way.
"There will be no further comment from the club as we do not consider appropriate to engage in the exchange of views on social media where - among our other things - death threats to our supporters were published."
Slavia chairman Jaroslav Tvrdik declared himself "extremely ashamed" by a photo of an "absolutely disgusting, embarrassing, racist" banner aimed towards Kamara by a group of fans over the weekend.
Slavia announced they had instigated a criminal complaint against Kamara on Friday and gave more details in a statement issued on Sunday.
Police Scotland confirmed this on Monday afternoon in a short statement.
It read: "We have received a report of an assault following the match between Rangers and Slavia Prague at Ibrox on Thursday, March 18, 2021. Officers are liaising with both teams and an investigation is underway."
Slavia won 2-0 at Ibrox to set up a quarter-final meeting with Arsenal.
Celtic and Rangers players both stood in solidarity with Kamara before their derby clash on Sunday.
Police Scotland later said they were investigating a number of complaints received over online racist abuse aimed at Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos, who scored in the 1-1 draw.
Online Reporting Form | Kick It Out
Kick It Out is football's equality and inclusion organisation - working throughout the football, educational and community sectors to challenge discrimination, encourage inclusive practices, and campaign for positive change.
Kick It Out's new chief executive Tony Burnett recently sat down with Sky Sports to discuss the ongoing fight against online hate, racism and discrimination in football.
