Jonathan Leko unsure about reporting racism again after Kiko Casilla process

Jonathan Leko says he is unsure if he would report racism again following the process which saw Leeds goalkeeper Kiko Casilla banned for eight matches.

Casilla, 33, was suspended on Friday after being found to have used racist language towards West Brom forward Leko, then on loan at Charlton, during a Sky Bet Championship match on September 28.

The 20-year-old says he has been frustrated with how long it has taken for a hearing to take place and says he received minimal support from the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) and anti-racism bodies.

The PFA has since issued an apology.

Leko said: “I am naturally relieved that the process is now complete and the FA have upheld what I have always known to be true – that I was racially abused by Kiko Casilla in a manner which shocked me and still angers and upsets me to this day.

“I have been disappointed with the amount of time it has taken to reach this point. Knowing what occurred in the game that day, it has been difficult to watch Kiko Casilla continue to play for such a lengthy period as if nothing had happened.

“I would urge the game’s governing bodies to look into their own processes when such incidents are reported. It was 22 weeks between the incident and the hearing during which I had minimal contact from the PFA, of which I am a member, and no contact in the way of support from leading anti-racism bodies such as ‘Kick It Out’ and ‘Show Racism The Red Card’. Some support or guidance would have been very welcome.

“By bringing the incident to the referee’s attention immediately, I was only doing what I have been educated to do throughout my career. But I found the hearing, at which I was made to feel I had done something wrong, extremely stressful.

“It made me question whether I would be prepared to go through it all again were I on the receiving end of similar abuse in the future. I certainly would think twice about how to advise another player placed in the same situation.

“From the outset, all I have done is report something that had to be challenged and exposed for what it is – racial abuse. I now want to put the episode behind me and concentrate on recovering from my injury to be ready for next season.”

PFA apology

The PFA said: “We’d like to apologise to Jonathan. We do not want any player to feel unsupported when going through something as difficult as this.

“At the time of the incident, we reached out to the club to advise them that we have a dedicated Equalities team in place that can support and guide Jonathan through the investigation and hearing process. This is usual procedure following a racist incident.

“Unfortunately, on this occasion, we did not hear back and wrongly assumed that Jonathan did not require our support.

“We’re grateful for Jonathan’s feedback and will review our procedures to ensure we learn from this moving forward.

“Following the hearing we reached out to Jonathan directly and have subsequently arranged a meeting – which is due to take place on Thursday.”

Leko returned to West Brom from Charlton after injuring his anterior cruciate ligament at the end of December.

The club said: “West Bromwich Albion continues to fully support Jonathan through what has clearly been a difficult and challenging period for the 20-year-old forward who is also currently recovering from ACL knee surgery.

“We know our supporters would want to join the club in reaffirming our historic and unflinching position in the fight against any form of racist behaviour in and beyond football.”

Charlton have condemned abuse on social media directed towards Leko and Macauley Bonne following the FA’s release of its written reasons.

It revealed the pair both reported Casilla’s words separately to referee John Brooks, who included the incident in his match report.

Charlton say they were “disappointed with the abuse on social media that Jonathan Leko and Macauley Bonne have received following the news”.

Charlton added: “Jonathan was a victim in this incident and the pair of them did not ask for this, the club is proud of both of them for standing up as football continues to fight racism.”

(c) Sky Sports 2020: Jonathan Leko unsure about reporting racism again after Kiko Casilla process