MADRID — Real Betis players showed their support for Ukrainian striker Roman Zozulya, who returned to the club after a failed transfer to Rayo Vallecano because of protests by fans who accused him of links to radical groups back home.
Players and coach Victor Sanchez appeared at a news conference Thursday to condemn the "public lynching of a player whose professional and personal behaviour has been impeccable since he arrived."
Betis captain Joaquin Sanchez read a statement expressing the players’ indignation with the "extremely serious situation."
"We are all Zozulya," Sanchez said at the end.
Sanchez said the local players’ association was already working to "defend the rights of our teammate" so he can continue playing in "adequate conditions" and with guarantees for his safety.
"We hope the entities responsible for the well-being of the competition take the necessary measures to keep the image of the competition and of the Spanish league from being damaged by these unacceptable behaviours," Sanchez said.
Spanish league president Javier Tebas told local media that he will consider whether any action, including a criminal complaint, should be taken after what happened to Zozulya.
The player’s loan to second-division club Rayo Vallecano was called off on Wednesday because of protests on social media and insults by a few supporters when he arrived at the club.
After the transfer was announced at the end of the European transfer window on Tuesday, Zozulya wrote an open letter to Rayo fans dismissing any links to "any paramilitary or neo-Nazi groups," as many had written on social media. He said he supported the army back home only to "help protect" his country and his people.
Betis players reiterated Zozulya’s claim that "fake news" originated the misunderstanding about the striker’s views back home and led to many of the insults against him.
It started when the 27-year-old Zozulya arrived in Spain last year to play for Betis wearing a shirt that a local journalist thought displayed a badge supporting radical groups in his native country. He said that the journalist admitted the mistake at the time and issued an apology.
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