QPR have been left outraged and stunned after Spanish officials demanded an APOLOGY for the club’s racism allegations.
Rangers were angered by a display of staggering buck-passing as both Fifa and Uefa insisted they were not responsible for investigating the club’s claims.
QPR chief executive Lee Hoos made official complaints to both governing bodies after his club’s under-18 side walked off the pitch when they were bombarded by racist abuse by opponents during an August game with Spanish side Nervion.
But insult was added to West London injury when the Andalusian FA, who were supposedly investigating the disgraceful incidents, demanded Rangers say sorry for “undermining the good name” of the entire region.
Hoos told SunSport: “I would be sad if this was all part of a cover-up. But it’s a joke – and it’s clear that nobody cares. They really don’t.”
Fifa and Uefa both emailed SunSport with their responses to Hoos’ criticism of their collective failure to act on Rangers’ complaint.
Fifa insisted the world body’s position on racism was “unequivocal” and that “discrimination of any kind has no place in football”.
But a spokesperson added: “In this case, after carefully reviewing, Fifa has referred it to Uefa as confederations have jurisdiction on disciplinary matters related to friendly matters.”
Within half an hour, Euro chiefs also responded, telling SunSport: “UEFA has been in regular contact with the Spanish Football Association on the matter.
“The case is still being investigated by the Andalusian Football Association – the competent body to deal with the case in the first place.”
The excuse we’ve been given now is that the Nervion players were only racists because our players had spat at them.
Lee Hoos
“UEFA would have the right to investigate the matter if the Spanish/Andalusian football associations closed the case without action.”
Those answers were described as “passing the buck” by Hoos, who was taken aback by the claims from Seville that HE was the guilty party.
Hoos said: “The excuse we’ve been given now is that the Nervion players were only racists because our players had spat at them.
“I know for a fact that is simply a lie. What I have now is a bunch of 17 and 18-year-old kids who are asking me if anybody cares about what happened to them.
“I don’t know what I can say to them. It’s incredible and bizarre.”
In their statement, the Andalusian FA claimed they had sent a representative to London to meet Hoos after he had not replied to their initial emails.
Hoos said: “The only thing that is true is that we didn’t reply to them until the end of September – but that was because their emails went straight into our spam.
“Once we found them we replied instantly. But the other stuff about a meeting that did not take place is simply a lie.
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“Les Ferdinand, who is our director of football, told me I shouldn’t bother, that nobody would take this seriously.
“Sadly he was right. It seems to me the only reason that Uefa acted against Bulgaria so swiftly, inside two weeks, was because the world saw what happened and it was a big thing.
“But we don’t matter. Our young players don’t matter.”