FC Barcelona issued a statement denying accusations of racial abuse that Royston Drenthe leveled against Lionel Messi. Drenthe says Messi repeatedly called him "negro" during a game last season, but Barcelona says its star forward did no such thing, according to the BBC.
"The player [Messi] has always shown maximum respect and sportsmanship towards his rivals, something recognised by fellow professionals," a Barcelona spokesman said. "We are sure that any accusations to the contrary are well wide of the mark."
Drenthe, a Dutchman of Surinamese descent, claims Messi began referring to him as "negro" after an altercation. Messi, 24, hails from Argentina where such terms can have different meaning than they do in other parts of the world.
Drenthe says he understands the difference, but took offense to the tone with which Messi called him "negro."
"I played against him many times and we always have problems with each other," Drenthe said. "You know what bothers me so? That tone with which he always says, 'negro, negro.'"
"I understand that 'negro' in South America is very common, but we can not stand it. Mahamadou Diarra, my team-mate at Real [Madrid], could explode if 'negro' was aimed at him. The Argentinean Gabriel Heinze and Gonzalo Higuain said it initially on the training ground, but they were stopped."
"When Hercules played Barcelona, during the game I had a small altercation with him. He gave me a hand in the match and again said a few times, 'hola negro'."
Drenthe's contract with Real Madrid expires at the end of the summer. He spent part of this season on loan at Everton. He played for Hercules in La Liga during the 2010-11 season.
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