Aspas denies Lerma allegations of racist remark

Iago Aspas has denied claims by Jefferson Lerma that he racially abused the Levante midfielder during Sunday’s LaLiga clash.

Lerma accused Aspas of making a racial slur following Celta Vigo’s 1-0 away win, and said he reported the incident to referee Alfonso Alvarez during the match.

Levante later issued a brief statement on Twitter supporting their player, which read: “Following the statements of Jefferson Lerma at the end of #LevanteCelta, Levante wants to show its firm support to the player and rejects any sign of racism in football.”

Aspas – who played the full 90 minutes – responded to the claims via Celta’s official website.

“What is said on the field, stays on the field,” he said. “So I will not repeat what he said to me.

“In any case, I did not call him what he attributed to me.”

Accompanying Aspas’ denial was a brief statement from Celta that said the club “strongly defend fair play and respect on and off the pitch.”