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Porto deny accusations of racist abuse towards Manchester City players
The English outfit have reported the Portuguese side to Uefa after Mario Balotelli and Yaya Toure were allegedly subjected to monkey chants over the course of the 90 minutes
17 Feb 2012 17:09:00
By Mark Doyle
Getty Images
Porto have denied that Manchester City players were racially abused by certain sections of the Estadio do Dragao crowd during Thursday's Europa League clash between the sides.
The English outfit have reported the Portuguese side to Uefa after Mario Balotelli and Yaya Toure were allegedly subjected to monkey chants during City's 2-1 win.
However, Porto have now hit back, claiming that the 'abuse' was all just a misunderstanding of the fans' support for Brazilian forward Hulk and City striker Sergio 'Kun' Aguero.
"What we can basically say is that nothing abnormal happened, no one noticed anything strange, not even the Uefa delegates who worked closely with Porto during the match," club spokesman Rui Cerqueira is quoted as saying by The Telegraph.
"Kun, Kun, Kun; Hulk, Hulk, Hulk - those chants can be easily confused with racist chants.
"We are very proud of having a multi-racial team, with players from all backgrounds and to have achieved many titles with respect.
"Porto players have never felt the slightest hint of racism and we were very surprised with the accusations."
The two clubs will meet at the Etihad Stadium for the second leg next Wednesday.
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The English outfit have reported the Portuguese side to Uefa after Mario Balotelli and Yaya Toure were allegedly subjected to monkey chants during City's 2-1 win.
However, Porto have now hit back, claiming that the 'abuse' was all just a misunderstanding of the fans' support for Brazilian forward Hulk and City striker Sergio 'Kun' Aguero.
"What we can basically say is that nothing abnormal happened, no one noticed anything strange, not even the Uefa delegates who worked closely with Porto during the match," club spokesman Rui Cerqueira is quoted as saying by The Telegraph.
"Kun, Kun, Kun; Hulk, Hulk, Hulk - those chants can be easily confused with racist chants.
"We are very proud of having a multi-racial team, with players from all backgrounds and to have achieved many titles with respect.
"Porto players have never felt the slightest hint of racism and we were very surprised with the accusations."
The two clubs will meet at the Etihad Stadium for the second leg next Wednesday.
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|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
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| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
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