KYIV: The Ukrainian Premier League on Monday called for an inquiry after a Brazilian player for Shakhtar Donetsk was sent off for responding to racist abuse with an obscene gesture.
Footage of Shakhtar’s game against Dynamo Kyiv on Sunday showed midfielder Taison displaying his middle finger to the Dynamo away fan section and kicking the ball into the stands.
Anti-discrimination group FARE Network said the referee implemented the first two steps of UEFA’s anti-racism protocol — making a stadium announcement and taking players off the field — but didn’t move to the third step, which would be to abandon the game.
“I will never stay quiet after seeing such an inhuman and despicable act!” Taison wrote on Instagram late Sunday.
“My tears were of indignation, repudiation and impotence because there was nothing I could do at that moment! But we were taught to be strong and to always fight! To fight for our rights and for equality!
“In a racist society, it’s not enough not to be racist, we must be anti-racist! We need more respect in football, we need more respect in the world,” he said.
Taison has played eight games for the Brazilian national team. He moved to Ukraine in 2010 with Metalist Kharkiv and joined Shakhtar three years later.
The league said it “deeply regrets” the incident and condemns racism.
“The UPL believes that the competent disciplinary organ will investigate this case as a priority,” the league said.
Dynamo has a history of far-right involvement in its fan base.
At a Champions League game against Chelsea in 2015, a group of supporters chased black spectators through the stands and beat them. Since that incident, which led to sanctions from UEFA, Dynamo’s players have often worn anti-racism messages on their uniforms instead of sponsors.
That hasn’t been popular with sections of the club’s fan base. FARE posted a picture of what it said was a sticker made by Dynamo fans ahead of the Shakhtar game reading “like racism.”
“Today my players showed their strong character once again, the character they showed during the whole match,” Shakhtar coach Luis Castro said after Sunday’s game, which his team won 1-0.
“I would like now to support all of those suffering from racism, those guys who faced it today, because racism is unacceptable,” he said. “It is, it was and it will be a shame for all, and we all have to fight against it every day, every minute and every second.”
Brazilian player sent off in Ukraine for reaction to racism
Brazilian player sent off in Ukraine for reaction to racism
- “I will never stay quiet after seeing such an inhuman and despicable act!” Taison wrote on Instagram late Sunday
- The league said it “deeply regrets” the incident and condemns racism
Real Madrid, Zalgiris headline adidas NextGen EuroLeague in Abu Dhabi
- 8 top under-18 teams compete for place in Athens final in May
- Tournament is at city’s Space42 Arena from Feb. 27 to March 1
RIYADH: Abu Dhabi will have Europe’s brightest young basketball talent this week at the adidas NextGen EuroLeague tournament.
Eight of the continent’s leading under-18 teams will compete from Feb. 27 to March 1 at Space42 Arena, with a place at the finals in Athens on the line. The finals in May will be staged alongside the EuroLeague Final Four in the Greek capital.
Defending continental champions Zalgiris Kaunas and five-time title holders Real Madrid headline the Abu Dhabi qualifier, which forms part of the 2025–26 adidas NextGen EuroLeague season.
The eight teams have been divided into two groups of four and will play in a round-robin format. The winners of each group will advance to Sunday’s championship game, while placement fixtures will determine the remaining standings.
The Abu Dhabi event follows the Ulm qualifier, won by U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, who have already secured their place in Athens. The winners of upcoming tournaments in Bologna (March 13–15) and Belgrade (March 20–22) will complete the finals lineup.
Group A features Real Madrid alongside U18 Aris Thessaloniki, U18 Dubai Basketball and U18 AS Monaco.
Aris enter their third season in the competition, having finished seventh at the Munich qualifier last year with a 2–2 record after placing sixth in Abu Dhabi the previous campaign.
Dubai Basketball are also competing in their third NextGen season. The UAE side finished eighth in Ulm last year with a 0–4 record but claimed a notable win over U18 Mega Super Belgrade at the NextGen Finals.
However, they missed another victory against U18 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan to finish 1–2 overall. Dubai previously hosted a 2024 qualifier, ending with a 1–3 record.
Monaco make their second appearance after an eighth-place finish in Paris in 2024.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, will be aiming to reassert their dominance after an uncharacteristic third-place finish at last season’s Munich qualifier ended a streak of 11 consecutive qualifying tournament victories.
The Spanish powerhouse had also won 19 straight NextGen games dating back to the 2022 finals in Belgrade before falling to Zalgiris in the group stage last year.
Real are the competition’s most successful club with five continental titles (2015, 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2024) and are competing in their 19th consecutive season since 2007–08.
Group B has reigning champions Zalgiris Kaunas take on U18 London Lions, U18 Next Gen Team Abu Dhabi and U18 Valencia Basket. London Lions make their tournament debut as the club continues to expand their European presence.
The Next Gen Team Abu Dhabi compete in their fifth season and second under head coach Dogus Balbay, a two-time EuroLeague champion. He is assisted by former Italian international Massimo Bulleri and Kheeryoung Rhee.
Valencia Basket are making their 10th appearance in the competition and their eighth in succession. The Spanish side have twice reached the finals, in Vitoria-Gasteiz in 2019 and as hosts in 2021, and finished runners-up in Munich last season after three consecutive fifth-place finishes.
Zalgiris, one of the most storied names in the tournament’s history, are appearing in their 24th edition — having featured in every NextGen season since its inception.
The Lithuanian club won the inaugural event in 2003, added another title in 2007 and lifted the trophy again last summer in Abu Dhabi. They also reached the championship game in 2005, 2006 and 2011, underlining their pedigree at youth level.
