Originally Posted by
alfinyalcabo
An independent commission "did not accept" Leeds United goalkeeper Kiko Casilla's claim that he was "unaware of the existence" of the racist word he was found guilty of using.
The Spaniard, 33, was banned for eight matches and fined £60,000 for racially abusing Charlton Athletic forward Jonathan Leko during a Championship game at The Valley in September.
Casilla, who denied the charge, said he only learned of the word's "existence and meaning" when interviewed about the matter almost a month later.
He said he had "learned relatively little English" since his move to Leeds in January 2019 and "generally uses an interpreter to hold a conversation with an English speaker".
The commission said it accepted that Casilla "is not a racist" and that the language "was wholly out of character", but that it was "satisfied on the balance of probabilities" that he had directed a racist remark towards Leko.
The Football Association began an investigation in October and subsequently charged Casilla with a breach of FA Rule E3.
It was alleged the Spaniard's words "made reference to race and/or colour and/or ethnic origin", constituting an aggravated breach, and the FA granted Casilla extra time to respond to the charge.
Under rules introduced for the 2019-20 season, the minimum suspension for a player found guilty of an aggravated breach of the FA's discrimination rules is six matches, which can be increased depending on any additional aggravating factors.
More to follow.
I bet he understands what "Phookin useless W@nker " means.