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Real Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold has condemned the alleged racist abuse of teammate Vinicius Junior during their Champions League match against Benfica, calling the incident a “disgrace to football,” while opposition coach Jose Mourinho faced criticism for his reaction. The match was halted for around 10 minutes after Vinicius reported alleged racist abuse by Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni to referee Francois Letexier. Vinicius and his teammates temporarily left the pitch following the complaint. The Brazilian forward, who has previously spoken out against repeated racist abuse during his career, later posted on social media saying racists are “cowards above all.” Benfica coach Mourinho claimed Vinicius had not celebrated his goal “in a respectful way” shortly before the incident at the Estadio da Luz, where Real Madrid secured a 1-0 win in the first leg. “There is something wrong because it happens in every stadium,” Mourinho said, adding that incidents seem to occur wherever Vinicius plays. Former Real Madrid midfielder Clarence Seedorf criticised Mourinho’s remarks, saying they risked justifying racial abuse. He stressed that racism can never be excused under any circumstances. Speaking after the match, Alexander-Arnold strongly denounced the abuse, saying it overshadowed an outstanding performance and goal. “There is no place for this in football or in society,” he said, describing the incident as “disgusting.” Mourinho later said he had been told different versions of events by Vinicius and Prestianni and insisted Benfica is not a racist club, pointing to club legend Eusebio as an example. Former England forward Theo Walcott said Mourinho should not have commented publicly on the matter, calling it a poor decision. Meanwhile, Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe urged strong action, saying Prestianni should not be allowed to continue playing in the Champions League if the allegations are proven. He called on UEFA Champions League authorities to take the matter seriously. Prestianni has yet to respond publicly to the allegations. With the second leg set to be played in Madrid next week, Walcott and other former players called for swift action by UEFA, stressing that incidents of racism must be addressed immediately to protect players and the integrity of the game.   With inputs from BBC

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has joined soccer clubs and players in coming out to support star striker Vinícius Júnior after he once more faced racist abuse in a Spanish league match on Sunday. The latest incident took place in Real Madrid's 1-0 loss at Valencia, a match that had to be temporarily stopped after the Brazil forward said he was insulted by a fan behind one of the goals at Mestalla Stadium. Valencia fans were filmed making monkey chants toward Vinícius, who is Black. Lula told a news conference in Japan on the sidelines of a G7 meeting that he hopes FIFA, the Spanish League and other soccer bodies "take measures so we don't allow racism and fascism to take over" in the sport. Also Read: Vinicius Junior says Spanish league ‘now belongs to racists’ after enduring more abuse "It is not fair that a poor boy who is winning in his life, becoming one of the best in the world, certainly the best at Real Madrid, is insulted in every stadium he goes to," Lula said. Several of his cabinet ministers also backed Vinicius and were critical of the Spanish league. Brazil's Human Rights Minister Silvio Almeida, who is Black, said on Twitter: "The behavior of Spanish authorities and of the entities that govern its soccer is criminal." "It shows undeniable acceptance of racism," Almeida said. "(Vinicius) I will be on your side to hold those that attack you accountable, but also those who omit themselves." Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes used expletives on Twitter to insult Spanish league president Javier Tebas, who criticized Vinicius following the incident for his comments on the lack of action of the sport's national authorities every time he is racially abused during matches. "You want to blame the victim, you idiot?" Paes posted. Ednaldo Rodrigues, the first Black president of the Brazilian soccer confederation, said he is troubled by the lack of action in Spain after another racist incident against Vinicius. "Until when will we have to see episodes like the one we just witnessed, yet again in La Liga?" Rodrigues said. "Until when will we have to fight for concrete and efficient measures on and off the pitch? There is no joy where there is racism." Flamengo, the club where Vinicius started his career, issued a statement saying "it is even more shocking to know that it is not the first time and that so little has been done to fight (racism in the Spanish league) and stop it from happening again." Other Brazilian clubs made similar comments. Many of Vinicius' teammates in the national team also showed their support for the 22-year-old forward, who has been subject to racist abuse since moving to Spain five years ago. "They always did whatever they could to stop Blacks from coming near the top," striker Richarlison said. "They enslaved, marginalized and killed. But they will never knock down those who were born to be big. History forgets the rats and makes those fighting these bad people much bigger. I am with you always, Vini." Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti considered replacing Vinícius after he said fans at the Mestalla Stadium chanted "monkey" toward him. He said Vinícius initially didn't want to continue playing. He was later sent off after an altercation with Valencia players, and gestured to home fans about their team's fight against relegation as he left the field.    

Vinícius Júnior was subjected to racist abuse yet again on Sunday with the Brazil star saying the Spanish league "now belongs to racists." The latest abuse against Vinícius came in Real Madrid's 1-0 loss at Valencia, a match that had to be temporarily stopped after the Brazil forward said he was insulted by a fan behind one of the goals at Mestalla Stadium. "It wasn't the first time, or the second or the third. Racism is normal in LaLiga. The competition thinks it's normal, as does the federation, and the opponents encourage it," Vinícius said on Instagram and Twitter. "The league that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano (Ronaldo) and (Lionel) Messi now belongs to racists ... But I'm strong and I will fight until the end against the racists. Even if far from here." Also Read: Brazil’s president, players support Vinícius Júnior, criticize racism in Spanish league The 22-year-old Vinícius, who is is Black, has been subjected to racist abuse since moving to Spain five years ago. Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti considered replacing the star forward after Vinícius said fans at Mestalla chanted "monkey" toward him. He said Vinícius initially didn't want to continue playing. "What happened today shouldn't happen," Ancelotti said. "When a stadium yells 'monkey' to a player, and the coach considers taking him out of the field because of that, it means that there is something bad in this league." The veteran coach refused to talk about the game after what happened, saying his team's loss meant nothing. "The game should have been stopped," Ancelotti said. "This shouldn't happen. It wasn't only one person, as it has happened in several stadiums. Here, it was a stadium racially insulting a player, the game had to stop. I would have said the same thing if it was 3-0 for us. You have to stop the game, there was no way around it." Ancelotti said he asked the referee to stop the match, but was told that the protocol was to first make an announcement to fans, then take other action if the problem continued. Ancelotti said Vinícius didn't want to keep playing but he told the player that he wasn't guilty of anything and that he was the victim. Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said he would have left the field with Vinicius if his teammate had decided to stop playing. "Vinícius is upset, obviously, but more than upset, he is sad," Ancelotti said. According to Spanish media reports, Valencia has identified two fans who allegedly insulted Vinícius behind one of the goals. Some comments on social media claimed fans were saying the Spanish word "tonto" (silly) instead of "mono" (monkey). Valencia later said it expected Ancelotti to apologize to Valencia fans for accusing them of racism after misunderstanding what was said. The coach told a news conference that the referee wouldn't have started the racism protocol if he didn't think there was racism in the stadium. Vinícius was later sent off after an altercation with Valencia players, and gestured to home fans about their team's fight against relegation as he left the field. Valencia took a huge step toward avoiding the drop with the 1-0 victory opening a five-point gap to the bottom three teams entering the final three rounds. "The reward for the racists was my ejection!" Vinícius said on Instagram, along with the Spanish league's slogan "It's not soccer, it's LaLiga." Vinícius had called the referee around the 70th minute and started pointing to a person sitting among the Valencia supporters. The player went near the stands and confronted the fans while players from both teams tried to restore calm. Police eventually arrived in the stands to deal with the supporters. An announcement was made asking fans to behave. The match at Mestalla was stopped for about seven minutes, and not long after it resumed Vinícius clashed with Valencia players and was sent off for pushing one of his opponents away with a hand to his face. After the decision of his ejection was made following a video review, Vinícius started applauding ironically. As he was leaving the field, he made a "going down" gesture over relegation. That upset players on the Valencia bench and some charged toward Vinícius as he left the field, causing the game to be temporarily stopped again. Valencia coach Rubén Baraja condemned the behavior of Valencia fans but also criticized Vinícius, saying he should have respected the club and its supporters. Vinícius' teammate Dani Ceballos criticized the fans but said he also expected Vinícius to apologize for his gestures after being sent off. Ancelotti said Vinícius' reaction was normal considering what he had gone through moments earlier. The Spanish league said it has requested images from the game to investigate what happened. It will also probe possible insults against Vinícius outside Mestalla, when a large group of fans also allegedly called the player a monkey as the Madrid bus arrived. League president Javier Tebas criticized Vinícius for attacking the league without fully understanding what it has done recently to combat racism, and saying the player didn't show up for talks on the subject that he had requested himself. The league has made nine formal complaints over racist abuse against Vinícius over the last two seasons, with many of the cases being shelved. A Mallorca fan may end up going on trial after allegedly racially insulting the Brazilian during a game. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva joined a wave of Brazilian politicians, players and clubs coming out to support Vinícius and criticize racism in the Spanish league. Lula told a news conference in Japan on the sidelines of a G7 meeting that he hopes FIFA, the Spanish League and other soccer bodies "take measures so we don't allow racism and fascism to take over" in the sport. The first trial against a fan accused of racial abuse in Spanish professional soccer is expected to happen at some point this year in a case involving Athletic Bilbao forward Iñaki Williams, who was insulted by an Espanyol supporter in a match in 2020.  

A UN body investigating discrimination complaints lodged by Qatar against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia concluded its work following the resolution of these disputes, according to an announcement Thursday. The ad hoc Conciliation Commission was established by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in the wake of a diplomatic crisis between the neighbouring Gulf nations, nearly eight years ago.  "I hope that the consensus found by Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia to discontinue the proceedings is the result of a genuine dialogue between the parties to end the dispute which arose in 2018 concerning allegations of racial discrimination," CERD Chair Verene Shepherd said. In June 2017, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar, citing "support for terrorism." The following March, Qatar submitted complaints against the UAE and Saudi Arabia to CERD, marking a first in the UN Committee's history. The authorities claimed that political and economic sanctions, including the blockade of its borders, were directed at Qatari citizens solely based on their nationality, without legitimate justification. CERD monitors the global implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which entered into force more than 50 years ago. Read more: French prime minister unveils plans to tackle racism Two ad hoc conciliation commissions were appointed in February 2020 to discuss the complaints. The committee commended all countries concerned for their cooperation towards reaching an amicable settlement to the racial discrimination disputes.  Qatar and the UAE had both requested and agreed to end their proceedings at an ad hoc conciliation commission meeting on January 26. The second commission involving Saudi Arabia wrapped up last year following an agreement by both parties. CERD has registered another case, Palestine against Israel, which is still pending. 

Name it, act on it, sanction it. That is the focus of a new drive against racism, anti-Semitism and discrimination of all kinds that was announced Monday by French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne. The four-year plan starts with educating youth with a required yearly trip to a Holocaust or other memorial site exemplifying the horrors that racism can produce. It includes training teachers and civil servants about discrimination and toughening the ability to punish those denounced for discrimination. Arrest warrants will be issued to those who use freedom of expression for racist or anti-Semitic ends. Unusually, the plan includes fighting discrimination against Roma. “There will be no impunity for hate,” Borne said, presenting her plan with 80 measures at the Institute of the Arab World. Tolerance is on the rise, “but hate has reinvented itself,” she said. “Our first challenge is to look squarely at the reality of racism and anti-Semitism and cede nothing to those who falsify history, who rewrite our past, forgetting or deforming some pages,” Borne added. Some people working for years in French associations against racism and discrimination are skeptical about the plan, reject it outright or are reserving their judgement. Even Kaltoum Gachi, a co-president of the anti-racist MRAP organization — which contributed a proposal — told The Associated Press that her group “will be vigilant to see if, concretely, (the plan) bears fruit.” France’s government has rolled out a succession of plans over five decades, the latest in 2018, to grapple with racism, anti-Semitism and discrimination. Still, the estimated number of victims who suffered as least one racist, anti-Semitic or xenophobic attack was 1.2 million per year, according to the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights. Social media and a rising far-right fearful of the disappearance of the nation’s Christian roots in an increasingly multi-cultural France have added new dimensions to the fight against racism. Generations of citizens from former colonies in mostly Muslim north and west Africa have over decades given the nation a new face. Read more: Uproar in France over proposed limits on filming police Gachi, the MRAP co-president and a lawyer, told those attending the presentation that 25 years ago, her younger brother Kamel failed in numerous requests for a job interview with an automaker — until he changed his name to Kevin. Just on Monday, Gachi, a lawyer, said in an interview with The AP that she spoke with a youth with the same problem, a humiliating experience that leaves a lasting mark. She added that dignity, not just equality, is part of the equation. Names, addresses and looks have long been a roadblock for people with origins outside France. Regular testing in private and public places of employment will be part of the new anti-discrimination effort, though the exact method is still being devised. Borne said her plan will also offer victims of racism and discrimination the possibility to file complaints outside a police station, and in a “partially anonymous” way. She did not elaborate. The plan will also make it “an aggravating circumstance” if someone in authority, such as a police officer, uses racist or discriminatory words to someone. However, Borne’s plan dodges some sensitive areas, notably failing to directly tackle discrimination and racial profiling within the nation’s powerful police force. Omer Mas Capitolin, a founder of the grassroots Community House for Supportive Development, said the measures are not sufficient. “There is a denial of systemic discrimination,” not mentioned once in the plan, he told the AP. His organization is one of a group of NGOs that launched a class action suit in 2021 against France’s powerful police in 2021, contending that it lawfully propagates a culture leading to systemic discrimination in identity checks. But for Mas Capitolin, who spoke on a personal level, alleged systemic discrimination goes beyond law enforcement to sectors like housing and jobs. Mas Capitolin also criticized the timing for unveiling the plan on a day parliament opens debate on a hotly contested pension plan and on the eve of a planned protest march.  

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden paid their respects Tuesday at a makeshift memorial to the 10 people killed in the white supremacist attack in Buffalo, confronting again the forces of hatred he once said called him back to seek the White House. Just off Air Force One, the first couple laid a bouquet of white flowers at the memorial of blossoms, candles and messages of condolence outside the Tops supermarket, where on Saturday a young man armed with an assault rifle targeted Black people in the deadliest racist attack in the U.S. since Biden took office. The Bidens were meeting privately with families of the victims, first responders and local officials before the president was to deliver public remarks, in which he planned to call for stricter gun laws and urge Americans to reject racism and embrace the nation’s diversity, the White House said. It’s a message that Biden has delivered several times since he became the first president to specifically address white supremacy in an inaugural speech, calling it “domestic terrorism that we must confront.” However, such beliefs remain an entrenched threat at a time when his administration has been focused on addressing the pandemic, inflation and the war in Ukraine. The White House said the president and the first lady will “grieve with the community that lost 10 lives in a senseless and horrific mass shooting.” Three more people were wounded. Nearly all the victims were Black, including all of those who died. On Monday, Biden paid particular tribute to one of the victims, retired police officer Aaron Salter, who was working as a security guard at the store. He said Salter “gave his life trying to save others” by opening fire at the gunman, only to be killed himself. Also Read: White ‘replacement theory’ fuels racist attacks Upon arrival in Buffalo, The president and New York’s two senators were greeted by Gov. Kathy Hochul, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and local police and fire officials. The shooter’s hateful writings echoed those of the white supremacists who marched with torches in 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia, a scene that Biden said inspired his decision to run against President Donald Trump in 2020 and that drove him to join what he calls the “battle for the soul of America.” President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden are in Buffalo, New York to honor victims of the supermarket shooting. “It’s important for him to show up for the families and the community and express his condolences,” said Derrick Johnson, the president of the NAACP. “But we’re more concerned with preventing this from happening in the future.” It’s unclear how Biden will try to do that. Proposals for new gun restrictions have routinely been blocked by Republicans, and racist rhetoric espoused on the fringes of the nation’s politics has only grown louder. Payton Gendron, 18, was arrested at the supermarket and charged with murder. He has pleaded not guilty. Before the shooting, Gendron is reported to have posted online a screed overflowing with racism and antisemitism. The writer of the document described himself as a supporter of Dylann Roof, who killed nine Black parishioners at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015, and Brenton Tarrant, who targeted mosques in New Zealand in 2019. Investigators are looking at Gendron’s connection to what’s known as the “great replacement” theory, which baselessly claims white people are being intentionally overrun by other races through immigration or higher birth rates. The claims are often interwoven with antisemitism, with Jews identified as the culprits. During the 2017 “Unite the Right” march in Charlottesville, the white supremacists chanted “Jews will not replace us.” “Many of those dark voices still exist today,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday. “And the president is determined as he was back then. to make sure we fight back against those forces of hate and evil and violence.” In the years since Charlottesville, replacement theory has moved from the online fringe to mainstream right-wing politics. A third of U.S. adults believe there is “a group of people in this country who are trying to replace native-born Americans with immigrants who agree with their political views,” according to a poll conducted in December by The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Tucker Carlson, the prominent Fox News host, accuses Democrats of orchestrating mass migration to consolidate their power.    

The husband of a Black woman who died hours after childbirth in 2016 sued Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Wednesday, saying she bled to death because of a culture of racism at the renowned Los Angeles hospital. Charles Johnson IV said he discovered the disparity in care women of color receive at Cedars compared to white women during depositions in his wrongful death lawsuit that is scheduled to go to trial next week in Los Angeles Superior Court. “There’s no doubt in my mind that my wife would be here today and be here Sunday celebrating Mother’s Day with her boys if she was a Caucasian woman,” Johnson said at a news conference outside the hospital. “The reality is that on April 12, 2016, when we walked into Cedars-Sinai hospital for what we expected to be the happiest day of our lives, the greatest risk factor that Kira Dixon Johnson faced was racism.” Johnson died about 12 hours after having a scheduled cesarean section that was performed in 17 minutes to deliver the couple’s second son, Langston. “This is sloppy. It was butchery,” attorney Nicholas Rowley said. “It shocked everybody that we deposed, all the health care providers, even the head of (obstetrics) here, the head of labor and delivery, looked at it and said ‘No, I’ve never seen one done that fast.’” At one point, a nurse told Charles Johnson that his wife wasn’t a priority, according to the lawsuit. She died from internal bleeding — nearly 90% of her blood was later found in her stomach, Rowley said. Her bladder had been lacerated and she hadn’t been sutured properly. The hospital, which has fought the malpractice lawsuit, said in a statement that it was founded on principles of diversity and health care for all and it rejected “any mischaracterization of our culture and values.” “We are actively working to eradicate unconscious bias in health care and advance equity in health care more broadly,” the statement said. “We commend Mr. Johnson for the attention he has brought to the important issue of racial disparities in maternal outcomes.” Kira Johnson’s death led her husband on a crusade to advocate for reducing maternal mortality, which is especially high for Black women. Before the pandemic, which increased deaths of women of color during childbirth, Black women died at 2.5 times the rate of white women, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Charles Johnson has testified before Congress and at the state Capitol in Sacramento in support of a variety of bills, including a 2019 state law that requires doctors and nurses to identify implicit bias at work, and a recent bill that would lift the cap on medical malpractice awards. Johnson would not benefit from a change in the malpractice law that currently caps awards at $250,000. The case is scheduled to go to trial May 11, though recent court filings indicated the two sides were close to reaching a settlement. The civil rights case would give Johnson another avenue to collect damages and hold Cedars-Sinai accountable. He’s also seeking an injunction that would require the hospital to make changes to protect mothers and women of color. But proving a civil rights violation in health care is difficult because most laws require showing discrimination was intentional, said Brietta Clark, a professor at Loyola Law School. “Compared to when civil rights laws were enacted, a lot of the kind of unequal treatment that we see in health care today does not seem to be explicit,” Clark said. “It does not seem to be conscious.” Also read: Sabbir denies allegation of racism against him by Elias A judge had rejected Johnson’s effort to change the malpractice case to add the civil rights action, partly because deposition excerpts did not show the hospital racially discriminated in the treatment it provided. Dr. Kimberly Gregory, an obstetrician and gynecologist at the hospital, testified that she lives with “structural racism” every day and it prevents Black patients from receiving the same care as whites, according to court papers. She also said Kira Johnson should have gone back to the operating room sooner. Dr. Sarah Kilpatrick, chair of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, testified that she told Charles Johnson: “I’m sorry. We failed your family. ... This shouldn’t have happened.” Angelique Washington, a Black surgical technologist, said “patient safety was out the door” when Kira Johnson came into the operating room. Washington, who has more than 30 years of experience, said she routinely witnessed different treatment of Black women but was afraid to speak up. “When I see my Black ... patients come in, I say an extra prayer,” Washington said. “I say a silent prayer that all goes well. Because you do have racism very much so in the operating room.” Clark said the evidence identified by the judge as weak were more general statements and not specifically about discrimination by the provider. She said the key thing for Johnson’s legal team will be to show a pattern of discrimination. Rowley said the effort to amend the case was a long shot. He has since gathered other evidence from additional depositions and will be able to seek data — such as the number of Black women that have died at Cedars — to support his claim in the new lawsuit. “Kira died because she’s Black,” he said. “Women of color don’t get the same treatment as white women. That’s a fact.”

Former South Africa cricket captain Graeme Smith was cleared of racism allegations on Monday by an independent investigation that looked into claims that he used his influence to ensure a Black player wasn't selected while leading the team a decade ago. Smith had also been accused of being “racially biased” against Black colleagues in his role as South Africa's director of cricket after he retired from playing. And a third allegation was made against him that he was guilty of “unfair racial discrimination” when, in his role as director of cricket, he appointed former teammate Mark Boucher, who is white, as head coach of South Africa in 2019 ahead of another coach, Enoch Nkwe, who is Black. The accusations were made late last year in a report that emanated from a series of hearings designed to look into the culture of South African cricket as far back as the 1990s to establish if there was racism. That initial report made “tentative findings” against Smith but recommended a full investigation. Smith was cleared of all three accusations in a decision released Monday. Two independent lawyers ruled on the allegations and found no evidence of racism against Smith. With regard to the accusations against Smith while he was captain of the team, the investigation found that he had opposed the selection of Black player Thami Tsolekile for South Africa from 2012-14 but it was not proved “he did so by reason of Mr. Tsolekile’s race.” Also read: Sabbir denies allegation of racism against him by Elias The South African cricket federation had pursued the allegations and was ordered to pay Smith's legal costs. Smith's contract as director of cricket expired at the end of last month and Cricket South Africa board chairman Lawson Naidoo said he would be leaving the role for “new challenges.” Naidoo also said that “CSA appreciates it has been difficult for Mr. Smith to endure the unwarranted public disclosures of his personal information." Details of Smith's salary became public during the course of the investigation. Boucher, who is still South Africa coach, also faces allegations of racism in a disciplinary hearing that is scheduled for next month and could cost him his job. One of the allegations against the former South Africa wicketkeeper revolves around him singing a song in the changing room while he was a player in the 1990s that referenced the race of a Black teammate. Also read: Racism in Cricket: Five Racist Incidents in the Gentleman’s Game Smith and Boucher were stalwarts of the South Africa team during their playing days. Smith played 117 tests from 2002-14 and is the Proteas' longest-serving test captain. Boucher played 147 tests from 1997-2012, when his career was ended by a serious eye injury he suffered in a game.

Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd, whose dying gasps under Chauvin’s knee led to the biggest outcry against racial injustice in the U.S. in generations. The punishment handed out Friday fell short of the 30 years that prosecutors had requested. Read: Floyd verdict gives hope, if only fleeting, to Black America With good behavior, Chauvin, 45, could be paroled after serving two-thirds of his sentence, or about 15 years. Former police Officer Derek Chauvin broke his long courtroom silence Friday as he faced sentencing for the murder of George Floyd, offering condolences to Floyd’s family and saying he hopes more information coming out will give them “some peace of mind.” Chauvin, who did not testify at his trial, removed his COVID-19 and turned toward the Floyd family, speaking only briefly because of what he called “some additional legal matters at hand” — an apparent reference to the federal civil rights trial he still faces. Read: Biden to America after Floyd verdict: 'We can't stop here' “But very briefly, though, I do want to give my condolences to the Floyd family. There’s going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest. And I hope things will give you some some peace of mind,” he said, without elaborating. Hisattorney Eric Nelson called Floyd’s death “tragic,” and that Chauvin”s “brain is littered with what-ifs” from the day: “What if I just did not agree to go in that day? What if things had gone differently? What if I never responded to that call? What if what if what if?” Floyd’s family members took the stand and expressed sorrow about his death. They asked for the maximum penalty. “We don’t want to see no more slaps on the wrist. We’ve been through that already,” said a tearful Terrence Floyd, one of Floyd’s brothers.

Bangladeshi cricketer Sabbir Rahman has been accused of racism by another cricketer Elias Sunny, an allegation he has denied. Both Sabbir and Elias had previously played for Bangladesh.  Elias is playing for Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club in the ongoing Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier League, while Sabbir is representing Legends of Rupganj in the competition. Also read: Sabbir urges fans to stay home Elias alleged that Sabbir sledged him with “inappropriate” words during a match between these two teams last Sunday.  “He sledged me using some inappropriate words. I asked him if he knows the meaning of those words. Sabbir sledged me again, and we have some heated exchanges then. But it was done, and I have no problem with that,” Elias told the media after his club submitted an official complaint against Sabbir to the BCB. “The problem is Sabbir misbehaved with me again today (Wednesday) during our game against Old DOHS. Sabbir came to the field this afternoon as his team was scheduled to play another game at the venue beside ours. While passing by our venue, he called me using the word *** (a racist word). So I reported it to the umpires and my club,” Elias added. Also read: Bangabandhu T20 Cup: Sabbir eyes return to national team reckoning The secretary of Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, Fayezur Rahman, submitted an official complaint to the BCB against Sabbir. BCB is yet to respond to the letter. While asked, Sabbir denied the allegation, but at the same time, he said Elias also misbehaved with him, and he will also inform his club now.