SFA responds in racism row

Neymar: Scored twice against Scotland

The Scottish Football Association has rejected claims by Brazil star Neymar that he was racially abused by supporters at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

A banana was thrown onto the field during Brazil's 2-0 victory as the 19-year-old was preparing to take his successful 77th-minute penalty, his second goal of the game.

Speaking afterwards, Neymar accused some spectators of racially abusing him, a claim also made by team-mate Lucas Leiva, who reportedly retrieved the banana.

"They were jeering me a lot, even when I was about to kick the penalty," Neymar was quoted as telling Brazilian television channel Sportv.

"The entire stadium was jeering. This atmosphere of racism is totally sad. We leave our country to play here and something like this happens.

"It's sad. I'd rather not even talk about it, to keep the subject from escalating."

Commended

Neymar's claims have now been denied by the SFA, who looked into the matter but found that no official reports had been made about racist behaviour.

An SFA spokesperson commented: "There has been no such incident reported to the police or the stadium safety officer.

"In fact, the tens of thousands of Scotland supporters who travelled to the Emirates were commended for their behaviour.

"The Scotland supporters are known the world over for their impeccable behaviour and we have no reason to believe that, after speaking to the relevant authorities, they have been anything other than exemplary.

"The Scotland fans helped create a wonderful spectacle inside the Emirates and throughout London and should be applauded for their support."

Sky Sports sources understand that Neymar will not make an official complaint of racial abuse.