Slavia Prague’s Ondrej Kudela gets 10-game UEFA ban for Europa League ‘racist behavior’

UEFA have suspended Slavia Prague’s Ondrej Kudela for 10 matches in European competition after finding the Czech international guilty of “racist behavior” against Rangers in the Europa League in March.

Kudela, 34, was accused of racism by the Scottish giants’ Glen Kamara and then the defender claimed that he was attacked after the final whistle at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow as Slavia celebrated a 3-1 aggregate victory with a 2-0 win on the night.

European soccer’s governing body have moved to punish both accused players with Kudela being hit with a 10-game ban — the minimum possible that UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body can issue for racism — and Kamara getting a three-match suspension for “assaulting another player.”

Kudela, who missed last week’s 1-1 draw away at Arsenal in the quarterfinal first leg due to injury but was also provisionally banned, has served one of his 10 suspended games because of that and he will be unavailable for this week’s return leg and any potential remaining UEL matches this season.

Should Slavia qualify for the UEFA Champions League at the end of this season, the remainder of his suspension will be carried over into the 2021-22 campaign.

The suspension while hefty is also shorter than Atletico Madrid’s Kieran Trippier was suspended for when he was given a 10-week global ban for allegedly informing his friends ahead of his move to Spain in order for them to profit from placing bets on it.

Also, an alleged racism incident during Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League group stage clash with Istanbul Basaksehir resulted in the match being postponed and played one day later in late 2020 before UEFA’s investigation announced that they were unable to establish the claims.