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The club defends the brightest star Lionel Messi, who was accused of racist remarks this week.
Royston Drenthe, a black player currently on loan to Liverpool's Everton from Madrid's Real, stated that the Argentine has repeatedly called him "negru" (which means "black" in Lithuanian) on the field.
"The football player has always demonstrated maximum respect and behaved towards opponents in accordance with the principles of sportsmanship. We are confident that these accusations are not accurate," said in a statement from the Spanish vice-champions.
Drenthe acknowledged that the term "negru" is common in South America and does not have the same negative connotation as in Europe, but he was disappointed by Messi's behavior.
"I had to play against him many times and there were always problems. It was most frustrating when the Argentine constantly called me "negru". I understand that this word is used very often in South America, but it is still unjustifiable," complained Drenthe.
