Shakhtar Donetsk stars Taison and Dentinho left in tears after sickening racist abuse as midfielder sees red for swearing at Dynamo Kiev fans
Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Taison was sent off after booting a ball into the crowd in response to racist abuse.
The Brazilian saw red after picking the ball up and volleying the match ball in the direction of some Dynamo Kiev fans who were targeting the 31-year-old.
Although the referee stopped the game, Taison’s defiant stand saw him give a middle-finger salute to his abusers and earned him a red card in the process.
As he left the pitch, the midfielder was in tears and teammate Dentinho was also clearly distressed by the sickening abuse in Ukraine.
As you can see below, Dentinho’s former club Corinthians proceeded to Tweet out footage of the shocking events.
“Until when?” they said. “A lot of strength to Dentinho and Taison, who were sadly victims of the disgusting racism in the match between Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kiev in the Ukraine today.”
This is the second incident in a week where a footballer in Europe has reacted by kicking the ball at racist fans after receiving racist abuse.
The former Manchester City striker kicked the ball into the crowd and threatened to walk off the pitch in the 54th minute when he was subjected to monkey chants by a section of Verona supporters.
He was convinced to stay by team-mates, Verona players and officials before referee Maurizio Mariani initiated the anti-racism protocol.
Balotelli, who was booked for his actions, went on to score a stunning consolation goal for his side in the 85th minute in their 2-1 loss.
Following the match, Verona banned one of their leading ultras, Luca Castellini, for more than 10 years for comments made about Balotelli, claiming he ‘will never be 100 per cent Italian’.
He said: “We have a n***o in our team and he scored and all of Verona applauded.”
The Serie A side issued a response on the official club website, stating Castellini’s words were ‘ideas contrary to the ethical principles and values of our club’.