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RACISM

Sergio says sorry to Tiger for ‘fried chicken’ slur

Spanish golfer Sergio García has apologized for making a racist remark after receiving a barrage of complaints from sponsors, fellow pros and Tiger Woods himself.

Sergio says sorry to Tiger for 'fried chicken' slur
'It shouldn't have been said. I will apologise to him face to face,' Garcia said of his racist remark. Photo: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP

Sergio García expressed what has been described as 'deep and sincere regret' on Thursday as he scrambled to limit the damage to his reputation caused by an racist comment.

The golfer sparked a storm of controversy while responding to questions about 2013 Players Championship winner Tiger Woods at an event in London in front of 350 guests on Tuesday.

He was asked, "What night will you be inviting Tiger around for dinner?" and answered, "We will have him round every night. We will serve fried chicken."

'Fried chicken' has racist connotations in the USA and is often used pejoratively.

García and Woods had previously clashed at the tournament over an incident during the third round.

Tiger responded to the Spanish player's comments via Twitter, saying: "The comment that was made wasn't silly. It was wrong, hurtful and clearly inappropriate. I'm confident that there is real regret that the remark was made. The Players [Championship] ended nearly two weeks ago and it's long past time to move on and talk about golf."

Garcia's main sponsor, TaylorMade-Adidas, was quick to issue a statement to avoid being associated with García's remark.

"Sergio Garcia's recent comment was offensive and in no way aligns with TaylorMade-Adidas Golf's values and corporate culture."

The statement added: "We have spoken with Sergio directly and he clearly has regret for his statement and we believe he is sincere. We discussed with Sergio that his comments are clearly out of bounds and we are continuing to review the matter."

García, 33, rushed to apologize for his words as the extent of the outrage in the golfing world became apparent.

"I was caught off guard by the question," he said, "but don't get me wrong. I understand that my answer was totally stupid and out of place. I can't say sorry enough about that."

He added: "Most importantly, I want to apologise to Tiger, and anybody that I could have offended. I feel sick about it. I'm truly, truly sorry. I called Mark Steinberg, his manager. He didn't pick up but I left him a message and told him that I was very sorry and that I would love to talk to them as soon as possible and make sure everything is OK. It was a bad comment and shouldn't have been said. I will apologise to him face to face."

George O'Grady, chief executive of the European Tour, ruled out official punishment for Garcia and told press, "Sergio expressed very deep and sincere regret for his unguarded and, in his own words, 'stupid' remark and we are also aware of his statement of apology issued at 12.25am this morning. Following our meeting, we have accepted his full apology and we consider the matter closed."

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RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

https://twitter.com/GravesenFumado/status/1764242481984491822

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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