Shakhtar Donetsk’s Brazilian midfielder Taison was sent off in a Ukrainian league match against visitors Dynamo Kiev on Sunday for reacting to racist insults from the crowd. A video of the racism incident showed that Taison stuck his finger up at a section occupied by Dynamo fans and then hoofed the ball into the stands. Taison, 31, who has featured six times for Brazil and has played in Ukraine since 2011, reacted to the racists with disbelief and left the field in tears.
The campaign group FARE (Football Against Racism in Europe) said on Twitter that Taison’s teammate and fellow Brazilian Dentinho reported the insults to the referee and a stadium announcement was made. Following UEFA-recommended protocol, the referee then took the players to the dressing-room for five minutes, FARE said, before dismissing Taison and restarting the game which Shakhtar won 1-0. The third step of the protocol would have been to abandon the match.
“Third step not activated, victim of racism sent off,” said FARE, which added that Dynamo fans also mocked a club campaign by displaying posters which said “Like to racism.” In 2015, Dynamo Kiev were ordered by UEFA to play two European matches behind closed doors after four black spectators were attacked at their stadium during a match against Chelsea.