Pachuca Captain Breaks Silence: I Called Rudiger a F*ing Coward, Not a Racial Slur
Football fans were left stunned after a heated clash between Pachuca’s captain Gustavo Cabral and Real Madrid star Antonio Rudiger during their Club World Cup showdown — but Cabral now insists there was no racist abuse involved.
The dramatic moment unfolded in stoppage time of Sunday’s Group H battle in Charlotte, where Rudiger furiously approached referee Ramon Abatti Abel after a fiery exchange with Cabral. Reports from inside the stadium claimed Cabral hurled a shocking racial slur in Spanish at Rudiger but the Pachuca skipper says that’s not true.
“There was nothing racist. I called him a fing coward, as we say in Argentina. That’s all,” Cabral explained post-match.*
Cabral said tempers flared after a scuffle on the field with Rudiger accusing him of striking out. The Argentine defender admitted the pair argued and exchanged harsh words, but said it stopped there.
“The referee made the racism sign, but I kept repeating the same thing: fing coward,”* Cabral added, insisting there was no racial insult.
“Rudiger was making fight gestures, saying ‘I’ll see you outside.’ We argued in the tunnel, but it didn’t go further. Our teammates were right there. I didn’t say anything else.”
The referee used FIFA’s new No Racism Gesture (crossing his arms) part of the 2024 three-step protocol for tackling discrimination on the pitch. An official investigation is now underway.
