Antonio Rüdiger, German Real Madrid defender, who made his Club World Cup debut last Sunday in a 3-1 win against Pachuca, denounced a racist abuse by a player from the Mexican side, Gustavo Cabral. Rüdiger dropped to the floor after a struggle with Cabral, and when referee Ramón Abatti came to talk to them, he crossed his arms over his chest, the FIFA protocol against racism.
Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso said after the match that they believe Antonio and it's being investigated by FIFA. "In football there is no tolerance for this, and if it happened, then measures should be taken".
However, Cabral denied using racist slur against Rüdiger. "There was nothing racist. I called him 'cagón de mierda' as we say in Argentina, that's it." That expression can be translated as "coward" or "weak", as Rüdiger stayed on the floor, seemingly complaining about a hit by Cabral.