Getafe’s midfielder Christantus Uche has criticised Spanish La Liga referees for failing to address the harsh treatment he’s received from opposition players and hit out at racist insults he said he’s been subjected to from fans.
Uche, 21-year-old Nigerian international is in his first season in LaLiga after joining from lower-league side Ceuta and accused referees of not treating him equally to some other players.
“First two or three matches, I saw it with my eyes. The referees are so bad, they are so bad,” he told ESPN earlier this week. “They will kick me, the referee will just say I should stand up. No, it’s a foul, you have to blow it.
“But if they kick another person the referee will just blow it. And it’s so painful, you cannot do anything, you don’t have any power because the referee has power to do anything he wants to do.
“No, he has to stop it. I will fall down, they will kick me and I will fall down in front of the referee and the referee will not do anything. No, it’s not good.”
He added: “Racism is not good, it has to stop. Everybody is the same, everybody is equal.
Getafe president Angel Torres believes Uche made “a complete mistake” to talk about the referees.
He also blamed the journalist who interviewed the player and Getafe’s press officers for not protecting Uche, who is not fluent in Spanish — though the interview was conducted in English.
“He has made a complete mistake,” Torres told El Chiringuito TV when asked about Uche’s comments regarding Spanish referees.
“The fact that it is not the right question to ask a young man who has just arrived does not justify him speaking badly of the referees or anyone else.
“I will talk to him as I haven’t seen the full interview. I don’t want to justify it, but someone who doesn’t speak Spanish, who has a microphone placed in front of him, it seems to me that the journalist is more at fault.
“Let’s hope that the [Spanish Football Federation disciplinary] committees understand it. The people in charge of my press office who were not there but have listened to it, and the journalists who ask that question to a lad who just arrived a month and a half ago, are just as guilty. That doesn’t justify him having to speak badly of anyone.”
Uche also spoke out about racist abuse he said he’s received from supporters, something that has been a frequent issue at Spanish stadiums.
“Both the fans, some of the fans, they will be hailing you ‘f—— Black,’ you are a ‘Black this this, that that.’ No, it’s not good. It’s not good.”
