Why Barcelona duo could lose their spot after Racism Row

#4 What have the players said?

Both the players have addressed the controversial video and the situation as a whole through social media. While Griezmann gave a shorter, more apologetic statement, saying that he has always been against racism and is sorry to anyone who has been offended, Dembele took a more defensive stance. The 24-year-old stated that it was a private video where the duo were only joking.

He said although he regrets the words that he used, they were not racially motivated. He said he would have used the same expressions, regardless of what race the staff members were. Both of the players insinuated that the video was just a private joke, not radically motivated and they have denied all racist allegations thrown towards them. Griezmann has also privately reached out to Rakuten’s CEO and apologized to him. We are not sure whether his apology has been accepted or not.